Glimpses of light, glimpses of life
by abski0206
Summary: Dragged down to the Phantom's lair, realisation dawns on Christine as her Angel turns out to be the dreaded Phantom. Yet as the days go on, Christine glimpses the true gentle Erik rather than the feared Phantom. However will the cold, rage filled Phantom push her ultimately away from truly seeing the man behind the mask?
1. Chapter 1- The Dark Decent

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story! **

How could she have been so naive? All this time her Angel, her protector, her guide was all a lie. Only hours ago she was being applauded by the highest of society yet now she resided in the pits of hell itself. Laying back on the beautiful bed which was now deemed hers, Christine closed her weary eyelids and watched the events from hours ago unfold like a story beneath her eyes.

5 hours previous...

"Oh Christine, you were marvellous!" Gushed Meg from beside her as she bounced up and down in awe for her friend. Christine had sang her heart out, her very soul had been lifted and became one with the music itself which pleased the crowd immensely and hopefully her Angel.

"Thank you Meg, I was worried my nerves would overcome me but thankfully they didn't" Christine smiled in response, whilst she carefully brushed her curly hair which cascaded down her back. Thankfully once she was in the dressing room, she had immediately removed the hair pins which kept her unruly hair at bay and finally felt relaxed for the first time that night. However, this feeling was not to last as she reminded herself that she had yet to hear from her Angel Of Music. She was about to ask Meg to allow her some time on her own, yet a knock was sounded at her door causing both girls to jump slightly.

Meg rushed forward and opened the door without even asking Christine if she wanted visitors. Christine sighed but couldn't bring herself to bring down Meg's jovial mood. As the door creaked open, a familiar voice floated into the room causing Christine's eyes to open wildly before jumping to her feet.

"Raul?, I thought it was you who had been watching" Christine smiled at her childhood friend and allowed him into the dressing room. A cold chill went unnoticed by the two yet Meg rubbed her arms and gave a sudden shudder. Sensing that the two needed a little privacy, the blond haired girl excused herself politely making sure to tell Christine that she would talk later.

Once Meg had left the room, the two stood in a comfortable silence before at the same time they attempted to speak. Laughing, Raul allowed her to talk first. "It's been such a long time since we last met, I never really believed we would meet again" Christine spoke softly as she gazed at how her friend had aged well. His golden hair was sleeked back and his clothes were of the wealthiest kind. Bowing her head to avoid him seeing her blush, Christine was truly happy to see him.

"I am glad that your outstanding talent has brought us together once more, Christine." Raul smiled and made his way closer to the beautiful women standing opposite him. "We have so much to catch up on. In fact why don't we catch up over supper tonight? Yes, I will get my driver to bring the carriage around the front of the opera house". His voice had rose excitedly and took no notice to Christine as she tried to tell him that she couldn't. Not with her Angel waiting.

"Raul, I'm...I'm sorry but I...I can't" she stuttered desperately as she suddenly realised how the temperature in the room had dropped dramatically. Yet Raul had brushed of her words as he started towards the door with determined strides. "I will be back soon, Christine" and with that he was gone leaving Christine standing there with an air of dread which filled the once warm room.

Suddenly the room was plummeted into darkness causing Christine's fragile form to shake slightly. A locking sound came from the door and she stumbled over towards the door and tried to pry the door open which turned out to be a waste of time and effort. A gentle hum sounded from somewhere in the darkness making her hold her breath for a second.

"Angel?" Christine asked quietly, too afraid to speak louder in case it was the Phantom instead. The thought of the Phantom made her shake harder as the stories which plagued the opera house entered her mind. Stories of the murders had once made her so scared that she couldn't sleep for nights in fear of being taken. Snapping out of her memories she remembered her current situation and tried to calm herself. With no response from her Angel, she tried to make her way towards her dresser to find something that she could defend herself with. This turned futile as she tripped over and was sent spiralling towards the floor. However, the floor never came as two long arms had circled around her waist and pulled her up against a lean, hard chest. Christine was shocked initially yet it developed into fear as she suddenly shrieked. Struggling against the strong body behind her, she couldn't even begin to fathom what was going on.

"Shhh Christine" the all too familiar voice whispered gently from behind her and she stopped her struggling almost immediately. "Angel? Is t-that r-really you" she stuttered. A warm breath hit her exposed neck causing her to inhale sharply. "It is I, your Angel" the voice replied softly. Then, in a few seconds his arms were gone from behind her waist and she felt a coldness envelope her. Knowing that Raul could not be far, she gently moved towards the door hoping that Raul would be able to reach her. Something felt wrong, her Angel usually had a protective presence which never caused her to fear yet in these few moments she was left with a cold ominous feeling.

Before she could move any closer to the door, her Angel's voice echoed in the room. "You will come with me Christine". The once gentle tone was cold and hard making her flinch physically. Shaking her head in despair she screamed for help. Her screaming was cut short when a gloved hand covered her mouth and another hand grabbed her wrist dragging her towards where her mirror resided. She watched with large eyes as the mirror moved casting a dim light into the room. As she followed the light she gave a muffled cry as she caught sight of her Angel. He was wearing a mask. As though logic had slapped her in the face, a horrible realisation drew upon her causing her to struggle more. A loud banging ceased their movement towards the mirror as Raul's shouts were muffled though the locked door.

This only seemed to make the masked man more determined as he pulled her forcefully into the mirror which gracefully slide shut behind them. Lamps littered there way through the tunnels and Christine thrashed to try and pry herself away from the man's steal like grip. He finally removed his gloved hand from her mouth only to grab her waist like she weighed nothing and then tossed her over his shoulder. After a good five minutes of kicking and screaming until she was exhausted, Christine closed her eyes and resigned herself to the fact that she was trapped. Hoping he would put her down soon as his quick pace cause her head to lull back and forth, Christine listened with interest as the man was muttering to himself. The last thing she thought before unconsciousness overtook her was that he was completely mad.


	2. Chapter 2- Awakening

She felt her body being put down gently and suddenly she jerked awake from her dazed like state and gazed around at her surroundings. She was in a boat on a cold mist like water which swirled darkly as the faint light reflected nothing upon it's surface. Looking up, the man as she now referred to him in her head, was steering the small boat through the narrow tunnels. She realised how tall his body was as it loomed above her and with growing fear she realised that she was indeed trapped. Finally, when the boat scrapped against the surface of the waters edge, the masked man got out of the boat and extended a hand to her for assistance. Stubbornly Christine didn't move as she tried to process what was going on, but her thoughts were paused when a strong hand grabbed her arm harshly and dragged her onto the land.

With his hand still grasped around her arm, he moved swiftly through his lair until he reached a room which held residence to two large chairs and a couch. Pushing her towards one of the chairs, she landed unceremoniously and watched him with a weary gaze. He seemed to be thinking for a while as he paced up and down the room muttering to himself. Finally stopping, he looked sharply at her and she could make out his features. Half of his face was covered by a pale white mask which casted a shadow on the other side of his face making his features more striking. His eyes were almost golden and he had one visible cheekbone which was both high and sharp. His expression was hard but as his eyes lingered on her, his harsh gaze softened slowly. Standing in front of her he gave a sigh.

"Christine I...I" he seemed to stutter as though he was suddenly nervous. Before he could continue, Christine spoke up though it sounded timid.

"I hear the Angel when you speak yet when I look upon you I see the Phantom, so please tell me which one you are? Or do you go by a different name?" Though she shook, her voice had somehow managed not to crack and she waited for the response with her eyes on the floor.

Kneeling down, the masked man grasped her hands in his as an attempt to stop them shaking yet it made them worse as she jumped at the contact. She did not pull away though, as she waited for him to reply.

"I will always be your Angel, Christine, but yes I suppose I am both" he said almost sadly."yet if you wish to call me by anything then I would much prefer Erik".

It took a few minutes for her to process the information but when it had, Christine felt anger and betrayal serge up inside her, how dare he pretend to be the Angel Of Music which her father had promised to send! All the time she was being manipulated and now she found herself trapped with the Phantom himself or rather Erik as he called himself. Standing up and moving her hands from his own, she stood there fuming.

"You used me!" She accused. "All the time I...I really believed you to be an Angel..." She couldn't carry on as sobs wracked her body. Hesitantly, Erik walked towards her as to try and calm her down but was stopped when his face began to sting. Christine had slapped him with all her force. There was a deathly silence which followed but as Erik turned his face to look at her, she stepped back as his eyes were blazing with a rage so powerful. Grabbing her arms, he roughly pulled her into another room which was beautifully decorated. Had she been in any other situation, she would have admired the room more but as he shoved her towards the bed, she buried her face into the pillow hoping that she would wake-up from this horrid nightmare.

From where the door was located she heard his cold voice. "My patience is running thin Christine, but I will blame it on your exhaustion for now" at this he opened the door forcefully yet continued to speak "I will return later, when you have ceased acting like a child" he sneered before slamming the door forcibly. Hearing the door lock, she rolled onto her back and wiped away any stray tears hoping that he wouldn't return at all.

Present moment...

It had been at least a couple of hours since he had left and as the time dragged by, her annoyance grew. Not only did he have the gall to call her a child but he didn't even apologise for kidnapping her or pretending to be her Angel. She knew that she shouldn't expect this from the notorious Phantom but she couldn't help feeling hurt and confused. Only a couple of days ago had she spoken to her Angel and his soft words of reassurance had caressed her yet now his harsh words cut into her like shards of glass and she couldn't stand it.

She hadn't planned on slapping him but the betrayal stung and she only hope to cause him the same pain which in her opinion, she didn't as he didn't give a sign that it hurt. Rolling over again, she gave a sigh knowing that he would likely not return until perhaps the next day. However just as she thought about sleeping, the door opened up and Christine found herself closing her eyes in an attempt to fool him. She heard his shoes click as they hit the stone floor and then there was a ringing silence. "I know your awake Christine" spoke a soft voice. Snapping her eyes open, she was slightly surprised to see him looking crestfallen. He had seated himself at the end of the bed and he looked at her with desperate eyes, as though he was trying to find an answer to his unspoken questions.

"I would like to apologise for upsetting you" he said whilst looking away. "I did not intend to hurt you, but your voice is the most beautiful voice I have ever heard and...and if it was to be trained... It would be the greatest in the world...that is why I acted as an Angel for I knew my appearance would only scare you" he said bitterly as he reached the end.

Sitting up, Christine couldn't help but feel gratitude towards him since without him, her voice would be nothing to what it was now. "I'm sorry for hitting you" she said whilst gesturing to his cheek. "I was just...oh I don't know" she broke off as she buried her face into her hands. Cold fingers made sudden contact with her hands making her jump, yet he pulled her hands down gently. Taking a handkerchief from his pocket, he carefully handed it to her so she could dry away her tears. He would have liked to do it himself but was unsure of her reaction and as he wished to not scare her further, he decided it was best to let her do it.

Dabbing her eyes, Christine watched him carefully through her lashes just in case. She had learned already that he was temperamental and therefore wanted to try and stay at his good side. Passing his handkerchief back to him with a quiet thank you, she felt herself blush as his stare intensified. As though she had handed him glass, he handled the handkerchief with the upmost care and put it gently into his pocket. She didn't ... no couldn't understand how only hours ago he looked ready to kill yet now he looked harmless.

Her eyes grew heavy and the days events suddenly caught up to her all at once. Feeling extremely lightheaded, she laid back down and hope for the feeling to go away. Erik had stood and was carefully extinguishing the lights in her room. The last thing she heard before exhaustion consumed her was a gentle voice.

"Goodnight Christine"

A/n Thank you for reading! I will update hopefully soon! reviews would be much appreciated as well!

I have always loved the story and the film so this has been very fun to write, I would love feedback so if you have any questions please don't fail to send them me as I will be more than happy to answer them.

How are you finding the story so far?

Do you think Christine will try and escape?

What do you think about Erik?

Hope you have enjoyed it this far! *sprinkles you with confetti*


	3. Chapter 3- Utter Drivel

Music hummed and danced around the dark tunnels beneath the opera house. It's mysterious tune leaked through the walls and found itself in the ears of Christine. She had slept soundly as though the entire situation she found herself in had never occurred, but as the gentle melody greeted her ears, her eyes shot open.

Realising that she was in an unfamiliar room, she began to shake as her nerves got the better of her. "Breathe Christine, it's ok, it's OK" Christine whispered to herself as she tried to subdue the shakes which wracked her body. Finding the courage to finally move, she gathered her skirts in her hands and moved of the bed silently. As she moved, her reflection caught her eye and she couldn't help but grimace at the sight. Her curly hair was wild and looked as though she had been dragged through a bush, her eyes were red from crying and her dress was creased. Trying not to focus on her appearance and instead concentrate on the fact that she was beneath the Opera House, Christine walked nervously to the bedroom door.

She paused however before opening it as the gentle melody which was playing before had became louder and more passionate. Gently griping the handle, she prayed it wasn't locked. Her prayers were answered when a soft click was heard and the door opened slowly.

However, Christine did not move. What would she do when she met Erik again? Would he be in a good mood or would she have to bare witness to his rage once more? These questions made her shudder and foolishly she started to think about running. This idea was blasted out of the water when the music suddenly stopped. She would be lying if she said that he didn't frighten her. She would be lying even more if she said that she didn't still feel something for her Angel.

"Good morning Christine"

Jumping, Christine nearly screamed as the masked man was standing in front of her with a look of concern evident on half of his features. Looking at him with wide eyes she felt her heart beating loudly. How long had he been standing there?

"Good m...morning" she replied nervously. Her eyes had lowered to the floor hoping that she wouldn't have to stand any longer for her legs felt quite weak.

"Christine? Are you quite alright? You seem to be very pale" Erik was now by her side and had began to lead her towards the large room where the chairs situated. Once he had seated her down, he knelt down in front her. He was going to say something by but she interrupted him quickly.

"I'm fine Erik, t..thank y..you" she said hoping that her small smile would perhaps keep him in good spirits. However, her plan seemed to not have the desired effect as he looked even more concerned than before. Trying to reassure him that she was fine as his eyes looked disbelieving at her, she started to do what she did best when she was nervous. Waffling on.

"You have a lovely home, and the room in which I slept in was lovely. It must be very quiet down here when you are not playing your music. Which is beautiful by the way. Then again you were my Angel Of a Music so I shouldn't expect anything less. You even have your own lake! Which must be truly wonderful when it's summer. I would love to be able to play the piano. You are obviously extremely talented..."

As she spoke, she knew very well that she should stop to save herself from dying from embarrassment yet her mouth chose to ignore her mind and continued. Erik had attempted to stop her talking a few times but she was almost totally oblivious.

Finally Erik's voice penetrated through her little speech making her stop talking.

"As much as I enjoy your lovely voice, I must insist that you have something to eat. But I would gladly listen to the rest of your thoughts afterwards".

She felt her face grow red and wished that the heavens would smite her in those moments but complied with his wish by allowing him to lead the way. She noticed how soft his voice was and there was a slight teasing tone when he had last spoken causing her to relax. Even if it was momentarily.

His kitchen, or what one would call a kitchen, was like most of his lair. Odd. It was, however, not unpleasant. Sitting down, she watched as he gracefully laid down a plate filled with fruit and bread before her. Giving a quiet 'thank you', she suddenly realised that he was not eating. She was going to voice her question concerning his lack of food, but he started to speak.

"I believe you have some questions to ask, my dear, and I would very much like to answer them if I can. I also have important matters to discuss with you." He paused for a moment to contemplate his next words before adding " Once you have finished eating, we will talk, but for now I will wait for you in the other room". Standing up, he made his way out of the room and left Christine to contemplate her questions.

Lifting an apple to her mouth, Christine sighed knowing that the next couple of hours would most likely be emotionally draining. Christine hoped that her questions would not cause another anger filled outburst like the other night but somehow she doubted that they wouldn't.

A/N

A big thank you too 'Phantom Fan' who reviewed! It was lovely hearing some positive feedback and it would be great if 'Phantom Fan' created an account, then i could perhaps discuss more with you! :)

Thank you for reading this far, I hope you are enjoying it up to now! If you have any ideas please feel free to message me and any more reviews would be great!

What questions do you think Christine will ask?


	4. Chapter 4- Question Time

Putting down the half eaten apple, Christine gathered up her courage and silently left the odd little kitchen to find Erik. Whilst she had been eating, her mind whirled with unanswered questions. Some she would ask and others she believed too risky, especially considering Erik's obvious mood swings. She was also very interested in what important matters he wished to discuss with her were.

Finding Erik had not been hard as the moment she heard music drift into the kitchen she could tell that he was in the room where the organ resided. So when she entered, she was not surprised to see him playing a piece of music which she had never heard before. Wondering whether to demonstrate her presence in the room by coughing, her worries were extinguished when he turned his head ever so slightly and gave her a small nod indicating that he knew she was there.

Realising that he wasn't going to stop until he had finished playing the piece of unknown music, Christine went and sat down stiffly on the couch which was opposite the large fireplace. As he played, Christine watched the small flames lick the wood and wondered if he would answer her questions truthfully. A few days ago, if someone had asked her whether she trusted her Angel then she would have had no doubts and replied yes. But now, she didn't know if she could trust anyone ever again. As she thought, she had to control the growing anger and uneasiness which had began. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath and then opened them.

Giving a gasp of fright, she looked at Erik with doe like eyes as he now stood in front of her. _'When had the music stopped?_' She thought frantically. He didn't seem to notice her inner turmoil or embarrassment as he turned around and seated himself in one of the large chairs.

"I hope I didn't startle you" he said slowly as though he was unsure that his words may scare her.

Giving a small nervous laugh, Christine brushed off the comment by saying "I was just daydreaming". Hoping that it would relieve the now tense atmosphere, Christine decided to start the conversation.

"So... you said that I could ask you some questions?" It was intended to come across as a statement yet it more rather turned out as a question making Christine wring her hands nervously.

"Ah yes, was that one of your questions" he replied with a small chuckle. She managed to smile back hoping that it looked real rather than forced. Taking a deep breath she began.

"I do not intend to sound rude, but how long will I stay here?" She asked nervously. Erik seemed to expect this question as he leaned back into the chair, making the atmosphere slightly more relaxed.

"That really depends on whether the behaviour of your managers is sufficient. If they listen to my demands then I would estimate a few more days, however if they do not..." his voice turned harsh and he straightened up suddenly causing Christine to physically flinch "then your stay here will be extended".

Gulping, she replied "extended?" "Yes, I do believe that is what I said, now do you have any more questions." His voice had turned slightly softer yet it was still sharp. Christine thought of asking him about the demands but from his outburst she began to think that it was safer to not ask. At least not yet.

"What will I do whilst I'm here?" She asked hoping that this time her answer wouldn't leave her shaking.

"Well, you will practice singing once again for I will not allow your voice to be anything less than perfection and when you are not practicing, you may read or if anything else interests you then you may do this also." He gave her a pointed look, expecting a response which she obliged my nodding. Up to now, though she was ultimately trapped, her future didn't appear too bleak yet she worried about his response to her next question.

"Who are you?" There was a ringing silence. She swore that if she listened closely then she could actually hear the water itself from the lake. The silence was broken when Erik gave her another pointed look and spoke. "I believe I have already answered that my dear, do you have any more questions?" He had brushed off the question quite quickly and though her mind screamed at her to just accept his answer, her voice yet again overruled her.

"You may have given me your name, but that doesn't really tell me who you are. I am sure that you know more about me so I find it only fair that you tell me about yourself". She wanted to close her eyes as she awaited his response but was stunned when no heated words spewed themselves at her.

"All you need to know, my dear, is that I am your humble servant who goes by the name of Erik." He didn't leave any room for an argument as he stood up and made his way into the kitchen. She had watched his fists clench as he walked by as though he was trying his best to remain calm. '_Hopefully it's working' _she thought.

He was not for long as he returned carrying two long glasses filled with what she thought looked like water. He placed her glass gently down on the small table that was located next to her and then seated himself back down in the chair.

"Now, if that is all your questions, I have some important matters to discuss".

**A/N**

A huge thank you to Dkk5, DCcomicGirl33 and Eimhear93 for their lovely reviews!

Thank you to everyone else who has read this far and hopefully will carry on!

What important matters do you think Erik wishes to discuss?

If you enjoyed it then please feel free to leave a review! :)


	5. Chapter 5- Matters Of Importance

**A/N **

**Hi, thank you for reading and I just thought I would answer a questioned left by Eva. The question was 'I just want to know what Erik are you using,the one in Gaston Leroux's book or ALW 2004 movie?'**

**This is a really good question and I hope that this will answer it. I have watched many adaptations of POTO from the 1925 film too the 25th anniversary edition. Through watching a lot of films/ musicals and reading the book I have in a way cherry-picked certain characteristics from each portrayal. So there will be certain aspects of the book in this** story.** I did enjoy Gerard Butler as the Phantom but I somehow don't believe that the character of the phantom is actually meant to be very attractive. I would like to think that it's his personality and potential goodness which makes him more attractive. Also his unloved nature makes him into the perfect character to write a happy ending for. **

**I want to make his character not overly emotional, yet not completely cold if that makes sense. I also would like to think that he originally falls in love with Christine's voice first but ultimately falls in love with her when he sees her kind nature. That's why at this point in the story he isn't exactly 'loved-up' for he is starting to see Christine as a person and not as just music. **

**Please feel free to send me more questions as I would be happy to answer them and enjoy reading!**

Though there was several other questions that Christine could think of, she allowed him to finally discuss his important matters. Yet something disturbed her. He was so adamant that she didn't know who he was and it made her feel slightly uncomfortable. For all she knew, he could be completely insane and by judging his actions so far, she was starting to think he was perhaps mad. His movement caused her to snap back to reality and she reached for her water, hoping it would clear her dry throat.

"Now, whilst you are staying here, you will be trusted to not do anything...foolish. My trust is hard to gain and I must insist that you don't try and break it. Because if you do then the consequences will be severe. For now, I will allow you access to almost everywhere in my home, but I won't hesitate to take this privilege away if you don't follow my instructions". He seemed to contemplate his next words and then spoke once more. "I do hope you understand what I'm saying for I really do not want to do something that I may regret". His speech was cut of by the sound of choking.

Christine could feel her face burn with embarrassment and her eyes watered up due to swallowing the wrong way. Had she heard him correctly? Was he threatening to punish her? She regained her composure and wiped her now wet eyes with the back of her hand.

"Something you may regret?" She asked worriedly. She was now coming to the conclusion that he may in fact be mad. All the time whilst she had been choking, he had sat there silently as though he expected this sort of response making her feel once again annoyed.

"Yes, I did say that Christine, you seem to have a habit of repeating things I say". His voice was softer and almost teasing yet it changed back to a more serious tone as he continued. "I would not wish for you to be at the receiving end of my anger so it would be best if you don't try and find out, just do what I say and I assure you that nothing will happen". He gave her a reassuring smile but it only made her feel even more uncomfortable. How on earth was she going to live with him for a few days. '_Hopefully a few days'_, she reminded herself.

She had put down her glass to make sure that she didn't have another accident. Bracing herself for more of the matters he wished to discuss, she hoped that the first one would be the worst yet a small voice in the back of her mind laughed at her hopes knowing how doubtful it was to believe that this would be the last threatening request.

He sat up straighter, taking a deep breath and began with his second point.

"Secondly, I will not allow your voice to be anything less than perfection, as I mentioned before, so I will expect nothing but your best. It is in your best interest to practise singing due to...future circumstances." He seemed to smile at this making Christine shift nervously. Continuing he added "so when I ask you to sing, I want you to sing to your highest abilities as I will not accept anything less. If you however decide that you do not wish to sing to the best of your abilities, then I do not want to remind you of similar consequences as previously mentioned." He looked at her with interested eyes as though he was challenging her to make a comeback but she managed to restrain her thoughts on the subject as she knew if she voiced them, then she would be finding out rather quickly what the consequences he mentioned were.

Nodding at him to continue, Christine wondered if anyone had noticed her disappearance. Raul of course must have brought it to the managers attention by now. The thought of her childhood friend brought a strike of sadness to her heart as she knew he would most probably be worrying at the present moment. Her thoughts were yet again interrupted by Erik as he started to speak about his final point. This time his voice was harsher and much more severe making Christine listen to him intently.

"Lastly, though you have permission to wander about as you please, you are forbidden to enter my room, unless it is an emergency. This rule is extremely important Christine and the consequences are the same as the previous two, yet I hope you will understand that this one is a rule which must not be broken. Do you understand?" He seemed to be breathing heavily as though the importance of this rule made him breathless at the thought of her breaking it. She nodded but once again her voice decided to overrule her mind before she could think.

"I understand what you are telling me Erik, but, what would you deem an emergency?" Hoping that he wouldn't do anything that would scare her she just looked at him with wide eyes hoping that the innocent look which played on her features would prevent another violent outburst. Though this was probably not the reason why he wasn't angry, Christine still felt a sense of achievement when he didn't shout at her. In fact he replied rather calmly.

"Though you will not come to harm here, an emergency, I suppose would be if you are hurt or in desperate need of myself then you may enter my room. But I do not believe that there will be a situation when you will need me desperately". His features had saddened as he finished his answer as though he was saddened by the prospect of her not needing him. She found this strange as only days before she had demonstrated her need for him since he was her Angel Of Music. Yet now she didn't really know what he was at all.

He appeared to have finished and stood up slowly. His glass of water was untouched and she noticed that his frame looked rather tense. Trying to stop herself from over analysing him, her eyes wandered to the bookshelf which was located on the left hand side of the large fireplace. He must have been watching her as he began to speak.

"I have quite a wide selection of books for you to choose. In fact, you may choose one now to read as I have some issues to attend to. Please feel free to take any into your room since I may return late when you have decided to retire for the evening. If this is the case then there is a meal already prepared for you in the kitchen for you to help yourself to". With these words he began to walk away. However, Christine had other plans as before she could really contemplate what she was doing, she had already ran up behind him and gently touched his arm. This physical touch seemed to grab Erik's attention as he was now staring at her with confused eyes.

"Erik?" She asked shyly.

He swallowed before answering "yes?"

"Will I ever see your face?"

**A/N**

**Dunn Dunn Dunnnnnn what will happen next?!**

**Thank you again to everyone who has reviewed so far and I hope everyone is enjoying it! If you are enjoying it please review :) I love hearing feedback!**

**What do you think his reaction will be to her question?**

**What issues do you think Erik wants to attend too?**

**And do you think Christine really understands the severity of the consequesnces?**


	6. Chapter 6- Sleepless night

**A/N**

**Thank you again for reviewing and I wanted to answer a really good question what Dkk5 said which was "I like your Erik but can't quite get Christine's personality, she seems more intelligent than the typically portrayed naive teen, just asking about her."**

**I wanted to present Christine as a young girl who is maturing due to circumstances that she can't really control. At the start of the story she slaps Erik which shows that she was irrational and to an extent childish. However, hopefully, I want to demonstrate her maturer outlook on life as the story goes on as readers may have noticed as she now thinks before she says or does anything.**

**I also didn't want to present Christine like quite a few writers do, which is very vulnerable and emotional (though I do still enjoy reading the stories). I wanted to explore ways that a logical young women would approach these situations. I have always thought that in the book Christine is portrayed as quite vulnerable because it was written in an era when women were not considered as clever as they are today, so I wanted to change the outlook for a slightly modern perspective. **

**I also wanted to show how Erik is infatuated with her voice rather than herself so as the story progresses, Erik and hopefully the reader will notice her maturity and personality which I think Christine deserves to have.**

**The second great question asked by Dkk5 was "what is she thinking about his face, that it's going to be a mask so he won't be recognised, or she is questioning a deformity?"**

** I would like to think that she hasn't really considered a deformity and believes he is trying to remain unrecognisable which is another reason for why she is annoyed. I want to make her seem curious about who he is because she still feels something to her Angel.**

He physically flinched and backed away slowly until he was at least a couple of feet away. Shaking his head gently, she heard him whisper something that sounded like "oh Christine". He looked at her with a pained expression, then touched her cheek hesitantly as though her skin was as fragile as glass. His touch did not stay long, however, as he dropped his hand with a defeated sigh. His touch was so gentle that she almost didn't feel his soft caress, but the coldness of his fingers left her skin tingling. Whilst she was in a trance she didn't see him.

He had walked away again but this time paused. Turning around, he looked at her, as though he was struggling to decide what to reply.

"You will not see me with my mask off Christine. It's for your best interest". With these words he had walked away until he had melted away into the shadows leaving Christine looking confused.

After a good few minutes standing up, Christine shuffled slowly to the towering bookcase that easily held over one hundred books. Some were written in multiple foreign languages, some were too high to reach and others were covered in dust. It took her a while to choose what she wanted to read, but she came to the decision to choose a small book which was made up of fables and folklore. She didn't really read books like this, in fact she had only read a few books in her life due to either being too busy to have the chance or not finding many interesting. She remembered reading an extract from a romance book that Meg was reading. They had giggled for hours at the prospect of meeting a tall, handsome man. Though the thought was not ludicrous to many women, to Christine it was. _Who would really want her_? She thought with a bitter smile. She spent most of her life in the Opera House and therefore never had an awful lot of chances at meeting men and the only reason why men seemed to like her now was only because of her voice. Her voice given by an Angel.

Trying not to become too distracted from her book, she snuggled up in front of the fire and started to read about fairies which lived in woodlands. The story was beautifully illustrated with pictures of tiny women and men using their wings to hover above lakes and flowers. She was so engrossed in reading that she nearly jumped when the golden clock resting above the fireplace signalled using it's rather loud chime, that it was midnight. Taking the book with her, she made her way to her bedroom prepared to go to bed. She had just put her book down of the lovely dressing table when a sudden bang sounded from outside her room.

Now, Christine was not the bravest of people so her conscience told her not to investigate and instead go to bed. Though as another loud bang erupted from outside, her curiosity grew and she couldn't help but peek outside her door.

Creaking the door open ever so slightly, Christine peeked outside and was stunned when she saw nothing. Opening the door fully to get a better view, a sudden crash echoed from the room she was in only minutes ago. Thankfully, she hadn't changed into a night dress which enabled her to investigate what the loud noise was. Walking cautiously down the narrow hallway to the next room, her eyes widened in shock at the sight in front of her.

Whatever she expected to find was nothing compared to the sight she beheld now. The beautiful odd room looked as though a storm had devastated it. The comfy dark chairs were now almost upside-down, the table was at the opposite side of the room, the couch (which she had only just been sitting on) was now upturned and lying on it's back and papers littered the floor in disarray. In the centre of this mess stood Erik. His usually perfect hair was now dishevelled and his breathing was ragged.

He hadn't noticed her and she was hoping it would stay this way. So very quietly, she backed away until she was back down the narrow hallway. She had nearly reached her door when a cold hand had clasped itself around her wrist and was now dragging her back into the ransacked room. She managed to pull her wrist away but his arms had circled around her waist making it impossible to get away. She struggled for a good few minutes before trying to speak with him.

"Erik... What on earth are you doing?" She tried to move once again but it was futile as he wasn't letting her go. As she gave no reply, she allowed her now tired body to relax slightly hoping that by adding more weight, he would also get tired and let go. Her plan didn't seem to work, but he did pull her towards the kitchen.

When they entered the kitchen, she was glad to see that it wasn't in the same condition as the living room. Her inspection of the kitchen was cut short when he let her go and pushed her towards one of the chairs harshly making her have to grab the table so she wouldn't fall over.

"Sit!" He spat angrily.

She wasn't going to try and test him so obeying his orders, she sat down. Countless ideas whirled around her head as she tried to make sense of their current situation. Whatever business he had attended obviously hadn't gone very well and in those moments she saw him more as the Phantom rather than Erik or her Angel Of Music.

"I am glad to see you awake, for we have some issues that need to be discussed." His temper had not calmed down and she wasn't sure how long it was going to be like this. But instead of keeping quiet, Christine snapped back at him.

"I don't see how anyone could be asleep when you are creating such a loud commotion outside of their room". Her voice was stronger than how she felt and she almost felt like congratulating herself on the fact that it didn't crack. His fist colliding with the table broke her thoughts rather violently.

"You do not have permission to speak!" He shouted but then added in a hiss "not yet anyway". He prowled around the table until he came right behind her. She shuddered when she felt his breath hit her neck giving her the impression he was now lowered so he could speak to her.

"Do you understand?" Asked a cold whisper that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand. His mouth was close to her ear and she felt herself blush at the proximity between them. Nodding quickly she hoped he would walk away but when his hand grabbed her jaw and forced her to face him, all forms of hope had now left her mind.

Lowering his voice into a deadly whisper, his voice was controlled but only just. "I think I asked you a question". Realising he wanted a response, she cringed slightly and felt tears threatening to fall when his cold hand squeezed her jaw hard.

"Yes, I understand" she squeaked. His eyes were cold and any sort of emotion she may have witnessed earlier on in the day was completely gone.

Satisfied by her response, he removed his hand and continued his journey around the table until he was completely opposite her. He, however, didn't take a seat and instead chose to remain standing. Looking at her with cold eyes, he sneered with disgust as he began to speak.

"It appears, my dear, that a certain problem has been brought to my attention. A problem that goes by the name of the Vicomte de Chagny." There was a deathly silence and all Christine could think of is that she wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.

**A/N**

**Thanks for the reviews and for reading my story. If you have any questions, I am more than happy to answer them as it actually helps me develop the story.**

**What do you think about Erik's temper?**

**Why do you think he is so annoyed? **


	7. Chapter 7- Embracing Chaos

"The Vicomte de Chagny?" Christine asked anxiously. She had completely forgotten about his rule of speaking only with his permission as once again her curiosity got the better of her.

His eyes had narrowed and he bit out a scathing remark causing Christine to look down.

"Your habit of repeating everything I say is starting to become awfully tiresome, Christine. I do hope that, for your sake, you will break it". He glared at her when she didn't look at him causing another small angry outburst.

"It's polite to look at someone when they speak to you, have you lost your manners as well as the inability to just listen?" He sounded sarcastic but she continued not to look at him. Her stubbornness only seemed to make his already bad mood, worse. Before she knew what was happening, he was behind her and had taken a handful of her curly hair. Pulling it back firmly so she was looking up at him, his glare was so dark that she could honestly say that she was scared.

He untangled his hand from her hair after a few minutes then went back to where he was previously standing. She was now giving him her undivided attention. He seemed to accept this as his tense stance had finally stopped trembling but he still looked angry. After another couple of minutes he answered her question.

"Yes, Christine, I did say the Vicomte de Chagny. I would like to ask, what is your relationship with him?" He looked at her with an emotion that she couldn't quite place but she didn't want to dwell on it and instead replied.

"We..we were c..childhood friends. Nothing more. It was the first time I had seen him since being a child when he came to see the opera a few nights ago". She didn't know what else to say. There wasn't anything else she could say. Still looking at his expression, she couldn't exactly tell if he was happy with her answer.

He then nodded slowly. He sank down into the the seat that he had been stood in front of. All the anger that had been there only seconds ago had suddenly disappeared. Now he just looked tired. She didn't want to look away from him just in case he happened to become angry again, but her wrist was throbbing and she really wanted to check if it was bruised. She was debating what to do when he spoke.

"Good...good. I must implore you to have all your attention focused on your music. Nothing more. You must promise that you will not allow anything...or anyone to distract you". His voice had become weary and almost relieved but there was still a severe edge to his tone which left no doubt that he was still serious.

Not making the same mistake again, Christine was quick to reply. "I promise Erik. Music means more to me that anything, I would never allow anything to distract me from singing." She hoped that she sounded sincere as she did mean what she said. How could he think that she would abandon her music so easily? Though she was irritated by his obvious lack of faith, she was feeling slightly better now that she knew what was wrong with him Yet wondered what had caused him to become so angry at Raul. Had he done something? Had she done something? She didn't dwell on it however.

Standing up slowly she made her way towards Erik. He seemed to be in a trance as he continued to stare at the place where she was sitting. She knelt down and put her hand on his arm, hoping to coax him out of his daydreaming. It had the desired effect as he turned his head and made eye contact with her.

"I promise Erik." She whispered and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. She didn't know what she expecting but when she felt his hand on top of her hand she was pleased that he wasn't angry. She was too busy celebrating that he was no longer in a mood that she didn't hear his sharp gasp. It was only when he had carefully grabbed her arm and inspected it that she realised that there was a small red mark on her wrist.

He looked absolutely mortified and immediately jumped out of his seat. She straightened up and watched him as he ran his hand through his hair roughly before then leaving the kitchen to go into the now messy room. She didn't know why but she found herself following him. When she had reached the room, he was stood there looking at the room as though he had never seen it before.

"I'm sorry" he whispered quietly, though he wasn't looking at her.

In those moments she didn't see the Phantom or her Angel. Instead she saw a man. She saw Erik. So gathering her courage, she walked up to him and to both of their surprise, she embraced him. What was even a bigger surprise, is that he eventually returned it.

His long arms had hesitantly wrapped themselves around her slim waist whilst she placed the side of her head to his chest. His heartbeat was strong and drummed loudly in her ears and she found it oddly relaxing. Neither of them exactly knew how long they stood there but when their embrace ended, it left them both feeling cold.

He stared at her like he had only just met her. To call the situation awkward would be an understatement. But before the silence could completely takeover, Erik spoke as he corrected the chairs by putting them back into their original position.

"If you take a seat, I will be back in a minute, I need to get something for your wrist". She didn't have anytime to reply for he was already gone. So she sat down and tried to calm her racing heart. As she waited, she thought about why she embraced him. Was it because she felt sorry for him? Was it because she disliked seeing her Angel look so...scared? Whatever the reason, she didn't find the experience awful.

Erik had stuck to his word as a minute later he came in with some sort of cream in his hand. Kneeling down in front of her, he smoothly applied the cream to her red wrist and she bit her lip hoping that her face wasn't as red as it felt. He took her wrist into his larger hand and delicately prodded her skin with his long fingers. When she didn't make any signs of pain, he moved his hands away. Still kneeling down, he hesitantly took her face in his hands and inspected her jaw to see if he had caused any kind of damage. She gave him a small smile trying to show that she wasn't actually hurt though her head throbbed just a little from him pulling her hair. Yet his frown that now played on his lips didn't disappear.

"Did..did I hurt you anywhere else?" He had winced at his own words and she shook her head.

"No, I'm fine, thank you for the cream though." She replied calmly.

"You have nothing to thank me for. I was the one who caused the damage after all" he snapped bitterly. Standing up, he offered her his hand which she took shyly and allowed him to pull her up into a standing position.

She allowed him to walk her to her bedroom. When they reached it, he looked down at his feet and said a quiet "goodnight." Watching as he walked away, Christine couldn't help feel a little sorry for him. She wondered how long he had been suffering from mood swings but she couldn't try and think of an answer as her tiredness took over and she went into her room.

Looking in the grand wardrobe, she took one of the many nightdresses and changed into it. Once she had got changed, brushed her hair and washed her face in the small washroom, she made her way sleepily to the exquisite looking bed and finally allowed herself to succumb to sleep. Her last thought before she fell asleep was '_I_ _hope Erik is ok'._

**_A/N_**

**Thank you for the reviews and for taking the time to read this story! Thank you Eimhear93 for your lovely reviews! **

**How did we feel about this chapter?**

**If you have any questions please feel free to ask as I love answering them!**

**There should be an update coming soon! **


	8. Chapter 8- Music Combines

Christine's eyes flickered open when the sound of a gentle melody had entered her room. Though half of her wished to stay in the warm confines of her bed, she decided that it was probably time to wake up.

She had noticed when she had arrived that there were a few dresses in the wardrobe and this was her first time in choosing which one to wear. There were three which she liked and eventually chose the light yellow dress which had lovely cream sleeves. She had no idea how he knew her exact measurements and somehow didn't really want to find out.

After getting dressed and washing her face, she made her way to the living room, already coming to the conclusion that she would clean up the mess later on in the day. However, when she arrived, she was shocked to see everything in perfect condition. As though nothing had happened at all. Though she felt thankful that the mess had been cleaned up, she couldn't help but question if anything did happen last night.

"Good morning Christine"

Yet again, Christine hadn't heard the music stop and couldn't help but jump when he spoke. Currently, he was leaning against the door frame of the Kitchen, smirking at her jumpy reaction. She managed to smile back and replied a polite "good morning" as she made her way foreword into the room. He gestured for her to come into the Kitchen and she gave a happy gasp at what she saw.

There was an assortment of pastries and jams on the table. Some she noticed which were her favourites. Erik, had pulled out her chair and gestured for her to sit down. Pushing the chair in once she had seated herself, Erik sat down at the other end of the table.

"It is important that you have a good breakfast today, Christine. You will be singing and therefore need to keep your strength up". He looked at her with a small smile and watched as she started to spread the jam on one of the pastries.

Looking up at him, she noticed that he wasn't eating and finally voiced this question. "Erik, why are you not eating?"

He looked at her for a moment before replying "I ate earlier on, when you were asleep". She appeared satisfied with the answer yet somehow didn't really believe him. So instead of thinking too much about his lack of eating, she carried on as she was quite hungry from not eating a lot the previous day.

After she had eaten, Erik had motioned for her to follow him towards his organ that dominated half of the room. She followed obediently and stood up straight as he started to play. She instantly recognised the piece of music and nearly told him not to bother giving her the music sheet since she had heard La Carlotta sing the song so much. Perhaps too much. But, she accepted the piece of paper with steady hands and began singing.

Her singing had vastly improved from a few months ago and she almost didn't recognise her own voice. It was as though her words were no longer her own. She didn't try to think about this and continued singing until the end. When she had finished, she watched him with a wary gaze wondering if she had done well.

Her worries were banished when he looked at her with a smile playing at his lips. He nodded his head and the began to speak.

"You really do have the most beautiful voice I have ever heard Christine. In fact, you have the most beautiful voice in Paris and someday soon the world will recognise your talent". While he had been speaking his voice rose excitedly and almost passionately. His stare had intensified so much that she blushed under his burning gaze.

"Thank you, but I'm sure that there must be better singers out there. La Carlotta is very good" Christine replied, still blushing. Yet when she mentioned Carlotta, his smile had faltered slightly and he couldn't help but give a sharp laugh.

"Christine, La Carlotta" he spat her name venomously "has very limited talent, some would argue non at all. Perhaps once she could sing well but it has been replaced by her awful shrieking which some people have mistaken for music instead. You have more talent than La Carlotta could ever dream of possessing, Christine. Do not doubt that".

She looked thoughtfully at him and just decided to remain quiet as she didn't really know how to respond. However, her gaze was drawn to a large pile of papers which littered a small table next to his grand organ. They had rough scribbles that represented musical notes and small words scrawled on. Intrigued, Christine went to touch one but was stopped when a cold hand grabbed hers gently. He shook his head slowly before speaking.

"Ah, I see you have noticed my work. It is an Opera I have been working on for many years. Hopefully once it is complete you, Christine, will be starring as the lead role. For no ones voice could possibly make music more alive than yours does. Yet, for the time being I would much prefer it if all your concentration is focused on the current Opera which will be preformed soon". He hadn't seemed angry at her curiosity, in fact he looked quite pleased to discuss his life's work.

"It would be an honour to preform your music, Erik. For only an Angel can create something truly exquisite." She spoke sincerely and smirked when she spoke of him as an Angel. Though to an extent he was one, as without his help she wouldn't be half as good as she was now.

He seemed delighted at her answer as his hand reached out and stroked her cheek almost affectionately. Then, drooping his hand, he returned to his music and allowed her to continue singing.

They had been working on her voice for hours and it was only when Erik pointed out that it was almost eight o'clock at night that she couldn't believe that she had been singing for so long. He had taken her into the kitchen and began preparing to cook a meal for her. As he cooked, for the first time since she had been staying with him, he began to ask her questions about herself.

"Have you always liked music, Christine?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment considering how she should reply. Smiling she began explaining how her love for music bloomed.

"My father was the reason why I had become so passionate about music. He was a brilliant violinist and would make the most beautiful music. It's hard to believe that by only using a wooden instrument with strings that he could create music so powerful. Anyway, when I was a girl, I used to sing with him as he played. When he had finished playing, he would tell me enchanting stories about an Angel Of Music and Little Lotte who was a girl visited by this Angel Of Music. My love for singing only faltered when my father died. Yet before he died, he told me that an Angel Of Music would come to me. I didn't really believe it until one day your voice spoke to me igniting my love for music once more . I believe that my father was talking about you for you have helped me so much. To a point Erik, you really are my Angel Of Music and I can't thank you enough."

All the way through her tale, though he had been making her meal, he had appeared engrossed by her story and nodded occasionally. He placed her meal down in front of her, which happened to be soup and sat at the opposite side of the table.

"Are you not eating?" She asked politely as she began to cut up her bread that had accompanied the lovely smelling soup.

Yet again, he shook his head and replied "I will eat later".

Looking up at him, she asked him the same question he had previously asked her. "Have you always liked music, Erik?"

He nodded slowly as though he was unsure on how to answer but eventually gave her a reply.

"I find music is a way to express ones feelings when normal words cannot. Music has been both a blessing and a curse for me Christine. It has been the only thing that has kept me sane at times and has never really left me. I wouldn't exactly know what to do without it." He sounded almost lost just thinking about a world with no music and Christine thought that if it kept him sane now, she had no idea what he would be like without music.

Once she had finished her meal, she had gone with Erik to sit down and read in the other room. Reading the same book from yesterday, Christine got herself comfy on the couch and enjoyed the warmth that the fire emitted. Erik had also chose to read and though she didn't know what book he was reading, within minutes he was fully engrossed.

Whilst he was reading, it allowed her time to look at him properly. She already knew that he was tall yet his frame looked slightly thin. She could only blame it on his poor eating habits that she had witnessed so far. His expression looked relaxed as he read and she wondered what he looked like without the mask being in the way. Her eyes then moved to his hands and she found herself starring at how long and pale his hands really were, '_perfect for playing the organ_' she thought .Yet his hands were extremely pale and though she was pale, his skin looked as though it had never seen the light of day and she wondered if that was true.

"Enjoying the view?" Erik asked in a teasing tone and smirked at her embarrassed reaction. She hadn't realised that he had been staring at her for a good few minutes after he felt her gaze on him. He couldn't understand what she found so fascinating about him yet allowed her to continue her curious inspection.

"Sorry." She mumbled clearly embarrassed and a bit annoyed at his smirk that played at the corner of his lips. She bit her lip and looked down at her book hoping that her cheeks would cease burning with embarrassment.

"Perhaps it is time for you to retire, you have worked very well today and I expect you want to rest." Erik said kindly, though she was sure it was more of a command rather than a suggestion.

"Yes, I am rather tired." She replied as she tried to stifle a yawn causing Erik to chuckle at her poor attempt. He offered his hand to her and she accepted it gladly, allowing him to pull her up into a standing position. He then continued to walk her to her room.

Before he could leave, Christine gave him a small hug and said a quiet "thank you" and "goodnight". He looked shocked at her small demonstration of compassion and said a quick "goodnight" before almost running down the hallway.

Closing the door, Christine couldn't help but smile. She was actually enjoying Erik's company. And with that last thought, she got ready for bed.

**A/N**

**Thanks for the great reviews, hope you are enjoying it so far! **

**If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask and please feel free to comment if you have enjoyed reading.**

**This has been the longest chapter so far and though probably one of the least eventful, I just wanted to show how the relationship may be changing :)**

**I will be updating soon! **


	9. Chapter 9- Bonding

As the days went on, Christine entirely forgot about being trapped and instead found herself enjoying the company of Erik. By now they had a small routine going which consisted of, breakfast, singing, dinner then finally reading. Yet their reading always ended up with them discussing a various amounts of topics. Some that even made them both laugh. However, she didn't exactly know how long she had been down in Erik's home so on this particular night after dinner, Christine decided to ask him some questions.

"What demands did you ask of my managers, Erik?

He had put his book down carefully and looked at her with a thoughtful expression. He was quiet for a while and then gave a small sigh.

"Though it does concern you to an extent, you don't really need to know Christine" he answered calmly and went to pick his book up again. He was stopped, however, as Christine spoke again.

"Well if it does concern me then I think I have a right to know. I have, after all allowed you to make demands which concern me without stopping you so I only find it fair that I should know now". She sounded slightly irritated but remained calm and hoped he would give her a decent answer.

"If you must know, I have asked that you will take the lead role in the new Opera which is coming up. I have informed your dear managers that if they disobey my demands and instead use La Carlotta as the Prima Donna then they would have to deal with the consequences. I have made more recent demands but I assure you, it has nothing to do with you. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

"Yes, thank you Erik for being honest" Christine said smiling though a part of her wanted to say the word 'honest' sarcastically as he was still not telling her the whole truth. He went to read his book again but found himself putting it down once more when Christine asked him another question. Though he wanted to read his book, he would rather give her his undivided attention.

"Have my managers behaviour been sufficient?" She asked quoting him from a few days ago. He smirked at her use of his words.

"They have acted decently, but they still have some of my demands yet to complete. If they hurry up, I assure you that you will be able to return to the Opera in a less than a few days. I believe that they are more than keen to have you back so I expect that my demands will be met quite soon". She noticed that he looked saddened at the prospect of her returning to the Opera and decided to ask him a question.

"Would I be able to come and see you once I have returned? Or will I only ever hear your voice?" She was surprised how sad she felt at the idea of not seeing him again. A couple of days ago she would have gladly returned to the Opera House above and never looked back again. Yet now she didn't like the idea of not seeing him regularly.

To say he looked taken back was an understatement. His eyes had widened and he opened his mouth a couple of times to reply but no sound came out. She wanted to giggle at his reaction as he looked quite amusing but she managed to stifle it. He managed to speak after a few failed attempts.

"You...you want...to come back? To see m..me?"

"Yes, of course I do. Unless you don't want me to come back then I won't if-" she was cut off mid sentence when she suddenly found herself being pulled up into a standing position. Seconds later she realised that Erik was hugging her. This time, he wasn't as hesitant and he squeezed her tightly as though he was afraid that she would disappear if he let go. Smiling, Christine hugged him back enthusiastically wondering if he actually had any real contact with human beings.

Letting her go, she saw him smiling down at her. Instead of going back to his original seat, Erik actually sat down next to her on the couch. Still smiling he began to speak.

"I would love nothing more than for you to join me down here. If you are sure, that it. I didn't really expect you to want to come back...well..after the way I behaved a few days ago". His smile had disappeared when he finished and Christine began speaking, hoping to put his worries at rest.

"Truly Erik, I have enjoyed your company and I would love to visit you regularly". This seemed to bring a smile to the visible side of his face. He went to move back to his chair when he was stopped by Christine grabbing his hand suddenly. She pulled him down again and couldn't help but giggle at his facial expression which mostly consisted of confusion.

"Will you sit with me?" She asked smiling.

His initial confusion left and he nodded in response before adding "just let me get my book". She watched him get his book that he was always engrossed in and sat back down next to her. He seemed slightly tense at first but as the minutes passed he finally relaxed and was swept away with the story he was reading. He didn't notice her moving closely and he certainly didn't notice her hand edging closer towards his mask.

It was only when he felt cold air hit his now exposed face that he saw Christine holding his mask with an expression of disbelief.

**A/N**

**Dunnn Dunnnn Dunnnnnnnnn**

**Thanks for reading! Please feel free to review if you are enjoying it so far! I'm glad that people see, to be enjoying it so far. This chapter would have arrived earlier had there not been an error so I'm apologising for the delay. **

**How do you think Erik will react?**

**There will be an update soon!**


	10. Chapter 10- Nothing to scream at?

He was eerily calm, like before a storm and she dropped his mask so it landed softly on the couch between them. She really didn't know what to think as she stared with large eyes. His face was in one word: hideous. His cheek was caved in and his the bone was protruding causing the pale sickly flesh to look stretched almost like a canvas. Where his nose should be was a gaping hole and his top lip was distorted making it melt among his flesh. Overall he was quite a sight and she was frozen with shock.

Suddenly he had dived on her, crushing his body against her own onto the couch. Now lying on top of her slim frame he looked ready to kill. His golden eyes sparkled with rage and she squeaked with fright. Leaning down so he was exactly face to face with her, she could feel his warm breath on her lips.

"Are you satisfied? Were you expecting a handsome face instead of this living corpse?" He had brought himself into a position so he was now straddling her and could look down at her with obvious fury. He gave a sharp bark of laughter before answering his own question. "Of course you weren't expecting this face. Not even my own mother did".

She tried to move from beneath him as his weight was starting to hurt her and make her neck bend in an uncomfortable position. His hands, however, had clamped down on her arms making her still her movements. She could only look at him, hoping that he wouldn't hurt her badly.

"Why Christine? Was it not enough to only see half of this face? Why?!" He had shouted the last word causing her to shrink back at his temper. She had been staring at his face for the past five minutes and it no longer scared her. What did scare her was his anger. She couldn't fear his face for a much more powerful emotion was present. She felt unbelievingly sorry for him. A man of such talent, such genius, cursed with that face. A face that his own mother obviously didn't care for.

He stared at her with great displeasure and she felt a sharp stab in her chest as she realised she had broken his trust. A trust that he rarely gave away. So when he went to get off her, she pulled him back so he was on top of her once more.

"Not finished starring at the horrors yet, Christine? Well why don't you have a closer look at the real Erik". He said bitterly and then lowered down once again so that his face was nearly touching hers. She would be lying if she said he wasn't ugly but she didn't feel totally repelled by his features. So very carefully she managed to get her arm out of his vice like grip and touch the uneven skin plastered to his jagged bones.

He initially flinched at her touch but only moved a little away so he was staring deeply into her eyes. For a moment his eyes flickered closed at the contact but snapped back open quickly. Talking her hand in his shaking hands, he removed it from his monstrous face.

"Why..why are you not screaming?" He finally whispered in confusion. She gulped hoping that her newfound courage from only moments ago had not left her and started to speak quietly.

"I see nothing to scream at". Her answer was simple and made Erik narrow his eyes in doubt. As though she hadn't spoken at all. At this point, he had removed himself from on top of her and started to pace up and down with fast strides. Every time he turned around to walk the other direction, it was like seeing two different people.

Getting up slowly herself, she took his mask carefully and walked very quietly up to him. She went to hand it back to him but jumped when he smacked it out of her hand making it crash to the floor.

"Nothing to scream at?" He muttered in a low voice. Taking her by the arms, he had suddenly slammed her up against the wall causing her to moan slightly in pain as her spine made hard contact with the firm wall. He didn't seem to care or notice as he was too busy looking murderous.

"How about now? Do you still think there is nothing to scream at?" He asked faintly. Yet his voice somehow sounded more deadly than ever.

Looking him straight in the eye, she said "no".

Letting go of one of her arms, he grabbed her hair forcibly and tilted her head at an uncomfortable angle so she was looking straight at him.

"What about now?" He hissed.

"No" she whispered back weakly hoping that he would just be satisfied with her answer.

Evidently he was not as he abruptly sent her falling to the floor. She didn't have a chance at sitting up for he was once again he was straddling her. Grabbing her hands, he pulled them over her head and hit them against the floor making her cringe as her knuckles scraped painfully against the cold floor.

"Have you changed your mind yet?" He asked and pressed her hands with a bit more force into the stony floor. Trying her best to overcome her fright, with a racing heart she tried to get her hands away from his harsh grip. Her attempts were not weak and a couple of times she thought she was close to getting free but considering he was so much stronger than herself, she didn't really have a very big chance of becoming free.

After at least five minutes of struggling, Christine gave up and lowered her head so it touched the cold floor underneath her. The coldness on her neck made her shudder and she tried to gain her breath back from fighting. Her chest was rising steadily as she tried to regain her senses. Erik had seemed slightly distracted when his eyes lowered watching her chest rise and fall. This gave her the perfect opportunity to try and talk some sense into him.

"Erik! I am not going to scream because of your appearance. But if it will get you off me then I will happily scream for as long as I can as your weight is starting to make it difficult for me to breathe." Her voice was laced with annoyance and she couldn't help but shout at him for she was beginning to feel quite faint.

He didn't move and instead just stared at her eyes without blinking. Taking a deep breath, Christine screamed. It was cut off moments later when a hand clamped over her mouth hurriedly. She was grateful when he removed himself from on to of her and was now sat down leaning against the wall. Christine sat up, cringing when she felt her back crack and her knuckles sting. Reaching over to his now discarded mask, she once again picked it up. Dusting of any dirt that fallen on the white mask, she caught sight of her knuckles which were grazed and red.

Crawling cautiously towards Erik who had his face in his hands, she stopped when she was situated in between his open legs. Tenderly, she lowered his hands away from his face and placed his mask facing down in them. She watched as he put it on gingerly as thought it hurt to put on. The silence was ringing and she felt herself feel lost for a few moments. Making a possible dangerous decision, she shuffled closer to him until she could circle her arms around his stomach. Hugging him she felt a few tears slip down her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry Erik" she said weakly as she could not think of anything else to say. When his arms finally wrapped around her, pulling her petite frame closer to his own, she heard him give an almost defeated sigh.

"I know you are".

**A/N**

**So how did I do?**

**I wanted to try something slightly different with Christine not being terrified of his face and instead his anger. I also wanted to make Christine braver than a lot of people portray her as I think Christine deserves to be written as a strong character.**

**If you enjoyed it please review and feel free to ask anymore questions that you may have as I love answering them! **

**Did you think Christine dealt with Erik's rage well? **


	11. Chapter 11- Dark Tunnels Of The Mind

She had not slept that night after the 'incident', as Christine referred to it in her mind, and Erik had become very distant both emotionally and physically. The only physical interaction he had with her was to check how her knuckles were before telling her that it was time for her to go to bed.

Currently she was now sitting in the odd living room trying to read her book yet her mind kept wandering to the previous night. He had not been around when she had awoken, but her breakfast had been left neatly on the oak table in the kitchen which told her that he probably hadn't been gone for that long.

To say she felt bad about removing his mask was a massive understatement and she hoped to make it up to him when she first saw him, but up to now her hopes were starting to diminish by the minute. As the day went on, she started to get worried that he might not return.

She had given up trying to read as her mind kept wandering elsewhere. So standing up, she made her way towards her bedroom but stopped when she caught sight of Erik moving swiftly into his own bedroom. She knew very well that she was forbidden to go anywhere near his bedroom yet couldn't quite stop herself. Reaching his room, she knocked lightly on his dark door with her hand, wincing as her sore knuckles made contact with the firm wood. There was no reply and she felt herself get irritated when he didn't answer so began to speak, hoping he would listen to her.

"Erik? I know your in their! Will you please speak to me?" There was no answer and she couldn't help but feel disappointed. Just as she had turned around, a clicking noise sounded from behind her. Turning around, she saw him standing there looking tired as though he hadn't slept.

"Do you need anything?" He asked her with an air of impatience yet as always very polite. She cringed at his tone and decided to try an different technique. Christine then turned around and walked back into the living room. She smiled when footsteps soon followed hers and she felt an icy hand take her wrist which spun her around causing her to face him. Wiping the smile off her face quickly so he didn't realise what she was up to, her eyes met a pair of golden orbs which were studying her.

"I do believe I asked you a question Christine and it is polite to answer when spoken to". As he spoke, she had removed her hand from his grasp and went to sit down. He was looking agitated and had moved his gaze to the fireplace instead of her.

"I haven't seen you all day" She said quietly. His eyes had snapped back to hers and then he moved so he was standing directly in front of her. His long body towered over her casting a shadow over her small frame.

"You have seen me now and if that has satisfied your curiosity I will take my leave because I am rather busy". He went to move but stopped when Christine spoke.

"What is so busy that you cannot at least say hello to me?" She didn't want to sound childish or pathetic but she disliked being ignored. This seemed to cause a reaction, as moments later he was sat down next to her on the couch with a cold glare aimed at her.

"Fine, if you must know, I have been dealing with some business". His voice was frosty and laced with obvious irritation. Yet he seemed slightly less tense than before. She moved a little closer towards him without him noticing as he was too busy glaring at the bookcase. Trying to regain his attention, Christine began to speak.

"Business?"

"Back to repeating what I say Christine?" He teased and she felt a sense of relief wash over her when he smirked. She didn't have a chance to reply as he began speaking again yet this time it wasn't as cold as before.

"The business concerns you and I am sure that you will be glad to hear that tonight you will be making a returning to the Opera House. Where once again, you will please audiences and entrance many".

Although she smiled she didn't feel it on the inside. "That's great, Erik!" She exclaimed softly and looked down at her hands that were folded in her lap. She suddenly felt his hand brush against her own. He had stood up and pulled her up with him. He looked at her softly and gave her a sad smile before letting go of her hand.

"It's time to go Christine, just let me get a lamp and we will be on our way". He had left her standing there and she rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand to brush away the growing wetness in her eyes.

"Are you ready?" whispered a voice close to her ear and she spun around coming face to face with him. She nodded confidently and allowed him to take her hand to lead her to the small boat on the water. Erik placed the lamp carefully on the boat and gestured for Christine to get in. However, as she went to get in, she nearly slipped. Christine braced herself for ultimately falling in the lake but it never came as Erik had pulled her body against his own.

"Thank you" Christine whispered and was surprised when he lifted her onto the boat with no problems. Getting in, Erik began to row the boat through the dimly lit tunnels leading Christine back to her world above the Opera House. He never noticed the tiny tear that slipped down her cheek as she watched his home disappear into the darkness.

**A/n**

**Sorry this chapter wasn't exciting but i think it's time that the story progressed some more. I needed to write this chapter so that it allows the story to go on.**

**Thank you for the lovely reviews so far and I can't really believe how many people have read my story already!**

**Do you think Christine feels anything towards Erik?**

**If you have any questions please feel free to ask them! Review if you liked it as I love receiving feedback :) **


	12. Chapter 12- Back To Reality

A/n

Once Erik had safely got Christine out of the boat, he lead her up a long pathway using his lamp to make sure she didn't trip over. It was a quiet journey and Christine didn't really know what to say but she tried to focus on not getting her lovely blue dress, that she had put on that day, covered in dirt. Yet when they reached the mirror, Christine gasped. She hadn't noticed before but you could see through the mirror into the dressing room making Christine question how long he had been watching her.

Erik didn't immediately open the secret door but instead remained still for a few minutes before turning to her. She couldn't see his face and therefore didn't see his sorrowful expression.

"For now I bid you farewell. Once you reach the other side of this mirror you are not to try and make your way down here on your own. I only ask this of you because I have laced these narrow passageways with a number of traps which are deadly and I wouldn't wish for you to get hurt." He had paused for a moment as he glanced down the silent pathway before continuing. " I ask that you make your way to the managers office and give them this letter from me. I expect that once they have received my letter, then you will be allowed to go to bed. I think it is likely that Madame Giry will be waiting to accompany you to your room".

Handing her the letter, he clicked the small hatch which could have easily been mistaken for a rock, and motioned for her to go through. Christine remained still for a few minutes before giving him a short hug. Walking swiftly out of the mirror she turned back to see his tall outline.

"Do not forget Christine, I still expect you to practise singing. Even when I am not there". And with these words the door disguised as a mirror closed shut with a soft click leaving her standing in the dressing room alone. Making her way out hurriedly, she almost ran to her managers office.

However, on the other side of the mirror, Erik still remained. His heart was drumming loudly and a deep aching pain throbbed in his chest. Leaning against the cold glass, he slid down until he reached the hard floor. Putting down the half burnt lamp, he covered his face with his hands hoping that the horrible pain in his chest would go away. But he just knew somehow that it wouldn't. For what felt like hours, Erik finally stood up and with shaking hands, he collected his lamp and shuffled through the narrow passageway making sure not to activate any of his deadly traps.

Christine, on the other hand, was almost feeling faint when she arrived at her managers office and it almost felt like a dream when they opened the door. Upon seeing her, the two managers yanked her in hurriedly and started showering her with questions.

"Madame Daaé are you alright?" Asked Firman anxiously

"We wondered if we would ever see you again. The Vicomte de Chagny was extremely distressed at your disappearance". Andre said almost as anxiously.

Raising her arm slowly, she watched as their eyes grew wide when their gaze settled on the white piece of paper, held together by a red sealing wax, in her hand. Firman had taken it carefully off her and started to read it. After only a minute, he threw the paper at Andre who had to do what looked like a weird dance in order to catch it.

When Andre had finished, the two managers stared at each other before leaning in, and started to mumble something Christine could not hear. She was going to ask if anything was wrong when Firman suddenly smiled at her.

"Ah my dear miss Daaè, it seems that you will be in our new Opera, Faust, this weekend. We will tell you your role in the morning. Perhaps you should go and rest, you have definitely had a tiring week so far". Andre then nodded enthusiastically, gesturing almost wildly at the door. His hair was greased back so not one hair fell out if place when he shook his head up and down. Firman on the other hand, looked weary as the dark circles under his eyes showed this clearly.

Edging towards the door, she was about to open it when a knock sounded form the other side. Opening it without permission, she gave a relived smile when her eyes met Madame Giry's older eyes.

She returned her smile, thought it was a bit tight lipped before saying in her harsh French accent "ah, I see you have returned. I am here to escort you back to your rooms".

"Perfect timing" chirped Andre as he walked forward and gently pushed Christine out of the door.

"Goodnight, we will see you in the morning" Andre spoke hurriedly and then shut the door.

Following Madame Giry to her old bedroom which she shared with four other ballet dancers and Meg, Christine felt an overwhelming amount of exhaustion hit her and she found herself just wanting to go to sleep. Thankfully, Madame Giry hadn't spoken to her on her way down and had only said a polite 'goodnight' when Christine had reached her shared room.

Upon entering her room, it was very dark until suddenly five candelas were lit simultaneously and five pairs of eyes were on her. She smiled shyly and found herself being hugged by Meg.

"Oh my gosh Christine, where on earth have you been!?" Meg exclaimed loudly but was silenced when one of the girls who was known as Little Jammes covered her mouth quickly in hope that they hadn't woken anyone else from the Opera was way past their curfew.

Giggling, the girls and Christine settled in their beds. Christine's bed was in the far corner of the room next to Meg's. Making herself comfortable in her bed, she asked the girls a question before she started to investigate what they had been told about her disappearance.

"Would any of you mind if the lights could just go off for a moment as I need to get into my night dress?" Her question was answered with five lights all going out and a collection of giggles. She had missed being with her friends, especially Meg. As she peeled her blue coloured dress off her body, she suddenly realised that it was a dress Erik gave her and she couldn't help but fold it neatly and put it in her shared wardrobe with Meg. Finally slipping on her pure white night dress, she told them that they could put the lights back on.

When the lights had returned, she saw hopeful faces looking up at her waiting for gossip. Giving a sigh, she began her quest for answers.

"What have you been told about my disappearance?"

A tall ballerina named Lea was the first to reply. "We had been told that you had to go for a break due to not feeling well! Though we didn't know whether to believe it!"

The other three ballerinas murmured in agreement, each nodding their heads thoughtfully.

"Is it true Christine?" Meg suddenly piped up.

Christine didn't feel like she had any other choice than to say yes, so she nodded her head In agreement. They were going to ask more questions but she cut them off.

"Yes, I had to go to the countryside for a few days by instructions from a doctor the Managers had called in. I had been feeling faint and the doctor advised that the best cure would be fresh air. I know you probably have other questions and I'm sorry for being a bore, but I need to rest as I have a busy few days ahead of me".

The girls thankfully were very understanding and accepted her answer. Meg however, narrowed her eyes at Christine but decided to question her tomorrow. One by one the candles blew out and left Christine in the dark. She slipped under her covers until they were up to her shoulders and tried not to think about her life with Erik for the more she thought about it, the more she missed being in his company.

**A/N**

**Thank you for reading so far! I hope everyone is enjoying it and there should be an update soon! It's currently half nine at night in England so I have at least another four hours to write some more chapters :)**

**Also, I had an internal debate whether or not to call one of the managers Andre or Armand Moncharmin (from the book). I decided to go with the first choice as I believe more people will know who the character is! **

**Please feel free to review and ask any questions you may have!**

**P.s**

**Lea is my own character just in case any fans couldn't recall her in the book or films!**


	13. Chapter 13- Lies which Guard The Truth

Christine had awoken considerably early the next morning and had managed to get dressed without waking the other girls. So, making her way to the managers office, she felt nervous at the prospect of finding out her role in the new Opera.

Yet when she arrived, two figures had already beaten her and she couldn't mistake their voices anywhere.

"I am the Prima Donna! Not that young fool, I demand that I get the lead role!" Shouted the scratchy voice of La Carlotta from behind the slightly closed door. Christine braced herself for the tirade of insults that she would most likely be receiving from La Carlotta and tapped on the door. It had swung open revealing a rather red faced Firman who dragged her into the room.

"Ah the young fool has arrived" snapped Carlotta nastily from her position next to the window. Stood to her right, stood Piangi who looked like a faithful dog waiting on her hand and foot.

Firman tried to diffuse the situation by speaking directly to Christine.

"Good morning Miss Daaè, we have just been discussing the roles for the upcoming production of Faust. It seems that the Phantom wants you to take the lead role-" he didn't get to finish his sentence since Carlotta had began stamping her feet like a petulant child.

"No! I deserve this lead role and I will get it. If you do not give it me I will leave! You will be ruined without me! Ruined!" She screamed the last word and her face had turned an unattractive shade if red.

Firman and Andre both pinched the bridge of their noses in frustration before Andre snapped.

"La Carlotta, you will be playing Marguerite, the lead role and Miss Daaè you will play the part of Siébel. And Piangi you will be playing the role of Doctor Faust. It was clear from his impatient voice that he wasn't going to argue anymore and Christine watched as Carlotta clapped happily.

"Thank you, I don't really see why it took you so long to decide anyway" Carlotta smirked cruelly and then began to walk out of the door with Piangi following behind. Once they had gone, both the managers had simultaneously collapsed in their chairs. Looking as though they had actually just been in a fight, Christine felt a small smile playing at her lips.

Firman noticed her smile and gave a quiet chuckle and then began to speak. "I'm sorry Miss Daaè, we would have liked to give you the role of Marguerite but from the performance that you have just witnessed, hopefully you can sympathise with us. The part you have got is still good though and we are positive that you will be excellent As always. Do you feel confident that you can learn the lines for Sunday as you only have three days?"

Christine took a seat in front of the two managers and gave them a genuine smile. "I understand, truly I do. And yes, I believe I will be able to learn the lines in time. I must thank you though for giving me a role, as I wasn't really expecting anything when I first walked in". Andre had nodded understandably and opened his desk draw. After a couple of minutes rummaging through various papers, he took out a few slightly crumpled up pieces of paper that Christine recognised as being the script. Andre passed them to her carefully before explaining what they were.

"This is your part in the Opera, you should be able to practise in rehearsals today in the afternoon. Please feel free to take the morning off so that you can become familiar with your role". Christine was going to speak but a knock stopped her.

"Come in" shouted a tired Firman.

Opening the door, Raul walked in the room and his eyes lit up at the sight of Christine. He seemed to be in some sort of trance which was broken abruptly by Andre coughing.

"Forgive me for interrupting, I was just coming to ask if Christine had arrived back safely from her break but I can see that now". He gave Christine a charming smile and she gave him a forced smile back wishing that he would stop staring at her.

"We don't want to sound rude, but may you wait outside for a few minutes as we have some private matters to discuss with Christine" Firman said politely with a smile. Raul had seemed a little crestfallen by this request but nodded non the less. He gave Christine another charming smile that she thought looked so wide that it must be painful and left the room.

"Now Miss Daaè, we know full well that you were with the Phantom". She looked panicked but Firman shushed her and continued. "Andre and myself have created the story that you were unwell and had to have a small break. We did this for two reasons. The first is that we couldn't have a rumour going around that one of our most talented sopranos had been taken by a ghost and secondly, we didn't want to upset the Phantom. So I ask that you keep up this story for your reputation relies on it. We have told the Viscount de Chagny this story but he has remained rather doubtful. It is up to you if you wish to tell him the truth, but it is probably better if you don't. For his sake and our sakes".

Christine looked at Firman like he had grown and extra head and found herself feeling extremely grateful that they had made a cover story for her. She stood up and couldn't prevent the smile that was now plastered across her face.

"Thank you, I truly mean it. It is probably best if I go now as I don't want to keep the Viscount de Chagny waiting". She made her way to the door when she heard both the managers say a polite "have a nice day" and she gave them a smile before leaving.

Christine had only just turned the corner when she suddenly found herself in Raul's bone crushing embrace. Feeling rather uncomfortable, Christine managed to get out of his arms and tried to look natural. He was smiling at her like an idiot but she couldn't help but return his smile.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked trying to break the uncomfortable silence. They both laughed at how awkward he sounded and the tension had immediately been broken.

"I'm feeling much better, thank you Raul". He had offered her his arm and she accepted it politely and allowed him to walk her outside into the sunlight. She forgot how bright the sun could be and found herself wincing when the rays of light hit her eyes. Raul must have noticed as he pulled her gently into a shaded area outside the Opera House.

"Christine, I need to ask you a question and I hope you will answer it truthfully". He sounded more serious than usual so she braced herself for what he was going to ask.

"When I returned that night you had disappeared, I heard you talking to someone in your dressing room and then you screamed. When I went to get someone to open the door, you had disappeared. What happened?"

Christine didn't really know how to reply. She could, of course, tell him the whole truth since he was her childhood friend but she thought better of it. If she lied then she would be protecting Erik and the reputation of the Opera House.

"I think I had fallen over, it was a bit of a blur really. All I remember is that Madame Giry came into my dressing room and brought me to the managers. They then got a doctor who told me that I needed a break". She felt quite proud of that lie since she hand just made it up but Raul was now looking a bit confused.

"Why was the door locked when I returned with help then?" He asked curiously though there was a hint of suspicion laced in his voice.

Shrugging, Christine replied "Madame Giry must have locked the door as people aren't allowed in the dressing rooms". He finally seemed satisfied by her answer and asked her if she wanted to accompany him to lunch. He promised that he would bring her back in time for rehearsals in the afternoon and she agreed. '_Hopefully he will not ask anymore questions about my disappearance'_ Christine thought as she got into a carriage followed by Raul.

**A/N**

**Hope you are enjoying it so far!**

**Please feel free to review if you are enjoying it! **

**Hopefully I will update soon :)**

**How do you feel about my portrayal of the managers? **


	14. Chapter 14- Company And Feelings

Christine was exhausted. From going to dinner with Raul then having rehearsals, Christine felt truly worn out. So instead of going back to her room that she shared with her friends, she found herself in her dressing room. She had locked the door and made her way to her dressing table.

Putting her head down on the cold wood of her dressing table, Christine allowed her eyes to close as she tried to wish her headache to disappear. A headache that was caused by Carlotta's singing which hadn't seemed to end. And though she wasn't usually affected by Carlotta's fiery tongue, today her cruel comments about how she looked really had upset her. Especially the one concerning her hair. The comment was still ringing in her ears.

"Look at her hair, I'm surprised that birds haven't started nesting in it yet" Carlotta laughed causing several other people to snort with laughter.

Squeezing her eyes shut to stop the tears from falling, she wished her Angel Of Music was there to comfort her. However, it want long until exhaustion had won and she found herself falling into unconsciousness.

Meanwhile, Erik was scribbling furiously on a piece of paper. His eyes were clouded and he had an expression of complete concentration. He would then stop and play a few notes before scribbling them back down. It was only when he realised that he was no longer alone that he suddenly stopped what he was doing.

"What are you doing here Persian?" Erik asked, obviously annoyed at being interrupted. He hadn't turned around at this point and Nadir Khan stood there looking slightly perplexed.

"How did you know it was me?" Nadir replied with a small smile. He enjoyed irritating Erik at times, as long as it didn't result in one of Erik's angry outbursts.

At this point, Erik had stood up and was now looking at the Persian with narrowed eyes. "You are the only one who knows how to get reach my home, so it couldn't be anyone else".

Nadir nodded and then walked over to one of the chairs in front of the fire. Seating himself down, he motioned for Erik to join him. Erik at first looked like he was going to argue but begrudgingly joined him.

"You haven't answered my question yet" Erik muttered.

Sitting up straighter, Nadir looked at Erik before saying "I heard that miss Daaé had been gone briefly, and I wondered if you happened to know anything about it?" Nadir had watched with satisfaction as Erik shifted uncomfortably when he mentioned the young girls name and automatically knew that Erik had something to do with her disappearance.

"Why are you so interested?" Retorted Erik as he tried to act like he didn't care but it came out rather harshly.

Laughing, Nadir replied "I think that question should really be aimed at you Erik, for you have never been interested in a women before." Erik had glared at him with obvious contempt and then gazed at the fire. After a moment of silence, Erik finally spoke.

"She saw me without my mask".

Nadir coughed and his eyes widened in shock. "pardon?" He asked as though he didn't believe his own ears.

Turning his head so he was now looking directly at the Persian, Erik replied "you heard me the first time." There was a deathly silence and Erik watched as Nadir swallowed nervously.

"Erik, you didn't hurt her did you?" Nadir asked, once he managed to recover the ability to speak. Erik looked annoyed by his question and shook his head.

"Of course not!" Erik exclaimed, but then added "well not seriously, I may have injured her knuckles but they were only grazed". Nadir had given a sigh of relief and exasperation at his friends behaviour. Though he didn't understand Erik, he knew very well what he was capable of and that scared him more than anything.

"How did she react?" Nadir whispered, already having a good idea how she might have reacted.

"She didn't scream. She didn't run. I have no idea why, as everyone else who has ever seen this blasted face has been repelled. But she wasn't. And I don't know why!" He sounded lost and he emphasised his confusion by slamming his fist down on the table in front of him. Nadir filched and started to think of ways to calm him down.

"Do you find her attractive Erik?" he finally asked. At this question, Erik looked at him as though he was the stupidest man on the earth.

"Anyone with eyes can see that she is attractive. Her beauty captures ones mind and her voice entrances ones heart. So, yes I do find her attractive. But I don't hold any hope that she would like me back, so don't even ask that as your next question". Nadir had started to argue but Erik kept on talking. "She will find a man that she loves and he will be handsome. That's what she deserves and I have came to accept this". Yet Nadir could tell quite clearly from the way he was speaking, that Erik did not want to accept this.

He was going to ask him another question when Erik stood up. "I have some business to attend to, so if you don't mind I need to be on my way". Nadir knew very well that Erik was really asking him to leave so he left the way he came in. As he walked down the narrow corridor, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Erik as he seemed to really care for the girl.

Back in the dressing room, Christine woke up and gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were red and filled with unshed tears, her hair looked worse than before and her skin was very pale. All in all, she looked a mess and she knew it. Burying her face into her hands, Christine chocked back sobs as she suddenly realised that Erik would be far from pleased when he found out that she hadn't got the lead role.

A clicking sound came from behind her and it made her want to cry more knowing that Erik was most likely in the room with her now. Her thoughts were confirmed when a cold hand touched her shoulder. She didn't react and instead chose to ignore him.

"Christine, whatever is the matter?" Erik asked with obvious concern. She removed her hands from her face and noticed that he was kneeling down next to her chair. Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she gave a small laugh when he handed her a handkerchief which reminded her of the first time she had cried in front of him.

"Thank y..you" she hiccuped as she tried to calm herself.

Erik had absolutely no idea what was wrong with her as he hadn't been able to listen to rehearsals due to all of his concentration being aimed at his Opera. So as he knelt down beside her now, he tried to think about what would make her react like this.

She seemed to have calmed down and was breathing normally. She gave him a smile and then replied "it's nothing, I'm just being silly". He didn't look convinced.

"It's obviously something, Christine. People don't cry for no reason". She wanted to correct him but thought against it. Instead she stood up and walked around the room until she had put a considerable amount of distance between them. He had now stood up into a standing position and was looking at her, most likely waiting for an explanation. Knowing that she would have to tell him the truth, she first decided to tell him why she was upset.

"I was crying because Carlotta had made a nasty comment about me. I said it was silly" she laughed, hoping that it reassured him.

He began to walk towards her and she moved too, trying to keep him at a safe distance for she knew that his reaction wouldn't be good.

"I have something to tell you though" she said cringing ever so slightly. He had stopped moving and gestured for her to continue.

"I didn't get the lead role in Faust." She has said it so fast that she wondered if he even heard what she said. A few seconds later he was in front of her and had his hands on her shoulders.

"Did you give them the letter?" He asked in a harsh voice.

"Yes."

"Then why is it that you don't have the main role?" He asked as his voice got slightly louder.

"Maybe you should ask my managers as you seem to be confusing me with them" she snapped back.

They stood there glaring at each other for a good few minutes before Christine tried to calm the situation down. Moving away, so his hands went off her shoulders, she couldn't help but yawn.

"Look, please don't blame me Erik. I did what you wanted and I didn't get a bad role either. In fact I got Siébel. I know that it isn't what you wanted but sometimes you just have to compromise".

She had turned around and was now facing the wall hoping that she wouldn't cry in front of him again. When two arms snaked around her slim waist she felt relieved that he wasn't as angry as he could get. Feeling his firm chest against her back, she relaxed against him.

"I know it isn't your fault and if you are satisfied with playing that part, well then I will just have to deal with it". Erik had now turned her around so that she was looking up at him and he brushed her cheek with one of his long pale hands.

Moving her towards the door, Erik then said "I believe you have possibly overworked yourself today and the best cure for this is sleep. Please try and look after yourself, Christine."

She watched him as he made his way to the mirror and just before he disappeared, he said a gentle "goodnight" and watched her unlock the door and leave.

However, once Erik was on the other side of the mirror, his face became stony and his eyes hardened. The Phantom didn't compromise and though he knew Christine was happy enough not to play the lead role, he knew better. So walking down towards the lake, he started to devise a plan. A plan that would result in Christine never having to come second to the likes of Carlotta.

**A/N**

**Hopefully everyone is enjoying it, please feel free to review and give me some feedback as it definitely inspires me to upload more chapters when I know that people are enjoying reading it!**

**What do you think Erik will do?**

**What do you think of Nadir Khan?**

**Thanks for reading and i should update tomorrow! **


	15. Chapter 15- Ruined Before It Began

The days had gone fast for Christine and before she knew it, the new Opera Faust was to begin in the evening. Since her discussion with Erik, she couldn't help but feel relived that he wasn't extremely bothered about her not having the lead role. In fact, he had been quite pleasant and helped her practise for the upcoming Opera. She had no idea that Erik was only just beginning to get his revenge.

So when the evening drew closer, Christine found herself once again in the dressing room, but this time accompanied by Meg. Meg had managed to get away from her last minute dancing Rehearsals and instead wanted to help Christine get ready for the part.

"Are you nervous?" Meg asked conversationally, as she tied Christine's hair up to look more like a boy.

"A bit, but I am sure that once I am up on stage that it will be ok".

Just before Christine was to make her way towards the door, Meg grabbed her hand. She looked at Christine suspiciously and then began to speak.

"Christine, where did you actually go that night you disappeared?"

Christine wanted to tell her the truth but was unsure of the consequences. Coming to the decision that Meg could be trusted as she had always been a true friend to her, Christine took Meg's hands softly in her and looked at her imploringly.

"I will tell you once the Opera is over Meg. Truly I will". She was satisfied to see Meg nod her head and walk with her out the dressing room door.

Once behind the stage, they were immediately separated as Madame Giry called Meg away. So standing at the side, she watched as the Opera began wondering if Erik was watching from his normal place in Box 5.

The music had begun and the scene took place. Piangi as Dr Faust was attempting to kill himself with poison yet the choir prevented him each time from doing so with their beautiful voices. Then with a loud bang, a man who Christine didn't know the name of appeared as the tempting Méphistophélès who gestured upwards. Looking up, along with the audience, Christine watched as La Carlotta sat at her spinning wheel on a raised platform with long blond plaits which cascaded down her sides. She looked very beautiful and Christine could understand why so many audiences adored her.

The next Act soon followed and Christine watched entranced by the storyline. Though she had been present in every rehearsal, somehow it was always different on opening night. Almost magical. Soon Act three arrived and Christine made her way out onto the stage.

Walking slowly, she started to pick flowers that were laying on the floor. As the music sounded, she began to sing 'Faites-lui mes aveux'. Her voice had soared and her acting was better than it had ever been. When the song ended, the audience erupted into applause and she left the stage as the lights faded out. She had noticed Raul the moment she had stepped on stage and he had stood up immediately after her performance ended. She had to admit, he probably clapped the loudest.

Christine was grinning and had to shush two costume girls who were congratulating her loudly as she wanted to watch the rest of the Opera. At this point, Carlotta had entered the stage and now was singing 'Il était un roi de Thulé'. She was doing well until suddenly a croak erupted from her mouth. The music stopped and a horrible silence dominated the entire room. The chorus master, Gabriel, moved his hands trying to get her to continue. The music began again and Carlotta was just beginning to relax when her voice croaked once more. This time the silence was replaced by angry shouts from the audience and snorts of laughter from her colleagues.

Carlotta looked devastated and was now in tears with Piangi trying to comfort her. Up in one of the boxes, the managers had their heads in their hands trying to withstand the humiliation. Andre had finally got up and was making his way towards the stage. A sudden scream sounded from one of the performers on stage as she looked up in disgust. There hanging was the overly large body of Joseph Buquet and his face was an awful shade of blue. A few pieces of staging also collapsed, narrowly missing a few people.

Now the whole Opera House was in chaos. People from the audiences were leaving hurriedly whilst trying to shield there loved ones eyes from the horrors on stage. Men were complaining about getting a refund and Andre was desperately trying to gain the audiences attention by waving his hands around on stage.

A loud laughter crackled from above and Christine watched in disbelief as the huge chandelier started to sway back and forth. From where Raul had been sitting, he was now looking up at the chandelier with concern covering his handsome features. As he was a gentleman, Raul had begun to help people get out of their seats and motioning them to leave quickly.

"Did you think you could get away with disobeying my demands?!" boomed a harsh voice which Christine knew was Erik's.

Firman and Andre looked positively faint and shook with terror as all they could do was watch as people ran out of the once calm Opera House. When the chandelier had stopped swaying the only people left in there seats was an old couple who appeared to have fallen asleep. Raul had made his way onto stage and was trying to talk to the managers.

Christine knew that he would want to speak to her but she had other ideas. Picking up her skirts, she ran as fast as she could against the crowd of scared people and got to her dressing room. Locking the door with shaking hands, she walked to the mirror and stood there with her hands on her hips.

She was scared, but more annoyed that Erik had lied to her. He had said that he would 'deal with' her having this role and she didn't think he meant this. A picture of Joseph Buquet was burned into her mind. He wasn't nice, all the girls knew this, but she didn't wish him dead. True, he often told stories of how hideous the Phantom was yet she didn't think that it was enough to get him killed.

Glaring at the mirror she hissed "Erik? Are you there?". When she got no reply she tried another tactic.

"If you do it open that door, I swear I will break the mirror myself". Her threat got his attention as moments later the mirror opened up.

Standing there was Erik and he actually looked satisfied. Walking gracefully and rather calmly into her room, he gave her a pointed look.

"It would be an awful shame to break this mirror Christine. It is quite old". He had turned to the mirror and was now tracing the pattern that outlined the edges with one of his leather covered fingers. Christine on the other hand looked at him as though he was insane. Opening her mouth, she was cut off when Erik started to talk again.

"You sang very well tonight". He was smiling at her and she started to question if she was even awake. Erik was acting as though nothing had happened and this caused Christine to snap.

"Well thank you Erik. But I seem to have been blacked out durning the show" she said sarcastically and moved away when he stepped closer.

"Blacked out?" Erik asked sounding concerned.

"Yes, are you repeating me now?" she snapped back with a raised eyebrow. He was going to retort but it was her turn to cut him off. "Yes, blacked out. You see, I had a very strange dream that included Carlotta loosing her voice, Joseph Buquet dropping down onto the stage. Dead. And the grand chandelier nearly collapsing on top of the audience". Her voice had risen yet it was still as sarcastic as before.

During her rant, Erik had slowly made his way forward until he was standing only inches away from her. Taking his leather glove off, he put his cold hand on her forehead. She slapped it away in irritation.

"Are you feeling ill Christine?" Erik asked. She shook her head and glared at him even more.

"The events you have just described did take place Christine" Erik replied after a few minutes of silence.

"Why did you do it Erik? What were you trying to gain out of it? Because the only thing you accomplished was scaring hundreds of people and ruining the Opera". It was now his turn to look angry as she suddenly found herself up against the mirror.

"The Opera was already ruined to begin with" he snapped at her. Yet he didn't continue when he noticed her hurt expression. Removing himself from her, he took her chin in his hands and tipped her head back so she was looking up at him. Moving his face so it was only a few inches away from her own, his eyes flickered to her lips before meeting her eyes.

"I wasn't talking about your performance. I was referring to Carlotta's role" he whispered. He then let go of her chin and moved away. She felt a little disorientated but managed to speak.

"I think I deserve an explanation at least".

He seemed to agree and opened the secret door which was disguised as a mirror using a small lever that Christine couldn't quite see. Stretching his arm out, she timidly placed her hand in his and allowed him to take her back down beneath the Opera House.

**A/N**

**Hope you are enjoying so far! I had to do a bit of research into the Opera Faust and I think it's hopefully rather accurate. **

**There will be an update soon! Happy Easter by the way!**

**Please feel free to review! I always enjoy feedback!**


	16. Chapter 16- Explanations

When they had reached his home, Christine went and sat down up in her usual place and watched as Erik lit the fire. She had only just realised that he had been wearing a cape when he took it off and sat down.

"What would you like explaining?" Erik asked politely and shifted in his seat as he tried to get comfortable.

"How about you start explaining why you killed Joseph Buquet and then went on to nearly kill a lot of people in the audience" Christine retorted, her eyes were glaring at him and she was sitting up straight with her hands folded across her chest.

"I didn't nearly kill any of the audience, Christine. I have no idea where you got that idea from". She opened her mouth to say something but was silenced when he held his hand up. "If you are referring to the incident with the chandelier, then I think you are mistaken. I only intended to scare the audience, not harm them. I'm not a total monster Christine". His voice was bitter at the end and she moved her arms from her chest. She then, to his surprise, patted the empty space next to her and gestured for him to sit next to her. He obeyed silently and sat himself down.

She took his hands in her own and rubbed them softly, as she tried to warm his frozen fingers. Looking at him, she said softly "you are not a monster Erik. But I don't know why you found it necessary to kill Joseph Buquet." He covered her hands with her own and gave them a small squeeze. He sometimes forgot how innocent she was.

"He was a horrible man Christine. He...did some terrible things. Especially to young girls and I couldn't allow him to carry on. The thought of him even touching you-" he broke off as he shuddered. Clearing his throat he continued, "you must understand that I only wanted to keep you safe. And of course others but my main priority was you". He moved his hands away and looked at the fire.

"Thank...thank you. I didn't realise how bad he was. I mean, I had heard rumours and Madame Giry said not to go near him but I didn't believe that he was...well...bad." She gently shuffled up to him and almost hesitantly snuggled close to his chest. She gave a contented sigh when an arm draped itself around her shoulder. They sat like this in a comfortable silence for a while until Christine suddenly sat up and looked at him with accusing eyes.

"Whatever did you do to La Carlotta?"

He didn't look guilty, in fact he grinned at her. Pulling her back into his warm embrace she could hear his chest rumble as he chuckled.

"I only did what I thought was right. I wouldn't worry, unfortunately her voice should return in a couple of days". He had began to laugh again and she playfully slapped his chest.

"Well at least it isn't permanent" Christine giggled, slightly relieved.

"It could be" came Erik's playful reply though Christine couldn't really tell if he was being serious or not.

Enjoying the silence, Christine started to enjoy being in Erik's embrace and wondered what it would be like to always have this. She blushed though when her mind wandered into dangerous territory. She had never really wanted to kiss anyone before but right now, she wondered what his lips would feel like against her own. However, as her thoughts started to drift back to the events which occurred earlier on, she bolted up from her position against Erik. He hadn't really reacted at all and the only way she could tell he was still awake was by the slight glance he gave her.

"Oh my gosh, Erik!" She exclaimed as she stood up and started to pace up and down in front of him. "I didn't tell anyone where I was going. Meg will be so worried and so will my managers". She gasped. "What if they think I have gone missing or been taken. Would they search for me? What if they find you? I'm so stupid! I should have at least told Meg where I was going but I suppose that she would have kept asking questions. And Raul, I hope he isn't looking for me..." She was getting herself into a state and Erik knew he had to calm her down before she completely lost it.

So sitting up straighter, he grabbed her by her waist when she was close enough and pulled her into his lap. She gave a squeak of surprise but relaxed in his hold. Christine turned her head to look at him and saw that he had a little red tinge to his normally white cheeks.

"I will deliver a message to your managers with an explanation and inform them to make an alibi for you. I will also inform them to tell your friend, Miss Giry, that you are safe. And Christine, you are not stupid so I will ask that I never hear you say it again". She had blushed at his intense stare and shifted in his lap slightly and swore that she heard him give a quiet moan.

"Thank you" she replied happily. Her worries were at rest and she found herself wanting to be closer to him. But knowing that he had a letter to write, she carefully extracted herself from his hold and sat down next to him. When he didn't move, she gave a little cough and said "the letter?".

She swore he had blushed an even deeper shade of red as he gave her an embarrassed half smile and walked towards his organ. Taking a piece of paper, he started to scribble down his new demands. All the while, Christine watched the way his body moved and found herself studying him. He had a certain grace that she had never known anyone else to possess and though he was tall, he still managed to move gracefully. She wondered if he was a good dancer but started to giggle at the thought, knowing that she was acting like all the loved up young ballet dancers that she knew. She never understood why they all acted odd and would make comments about men's eyes and their politeness, yet now she found herself doing the same thing. Trying not to think too much about her feelings, Christine watched as he sealed the letter with blood red wax and made his way towards one of the long passageways. Before he went, however, he began to speak.

"You may stay here tonight, but you will have to return in the morning. I would advise that you are in bed before I come back as you will most likely have a busy day tomorrow. I will, however check in on you when I return". With these words he turned around and left, leaving Christine to stare at the fire, wishing that the warm feeling in her stomach would go away.

**A/N**

**Thank you Eimhear93 for you lovely reviews! **

**I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter as I really wanted to start showing their growing attraction, especially Christine's attraction towards Erik. **

**How do you feel about their relationship? **

**Was it too fluffy, or was there not enough fluff? :)**


	17. Chapter 17- Desires

**A/N**

**Thank you The newbie Phan for the lovely review and thank you also to PhanNeverDies.**

**To PhanNeverDies and anyone else who may feel that behaviour of Christine is weird I will just explain.**

**I agree that her emotions change quite frequently during the story but as a girl I can relate to this as people don't usually have one emotion and in a lot of POTO fanfiction, Christine is mainly portrayed as either sad or upset. **

**In the previous chapter, she ceased being angry at Erik when she realised how protective he was. To a point he was only working in her best interests and though she doesn't agree with his actions, she still feels grateful for his reasons. She doesn't want him to kill for her, but she accepts that he wanted to protect her that I think some Christine's in other fanfictions forget.**

**I hope that has perhaps made it a bit easier to understand for anyone who was confused :) please feel free to ask more questions as I'm happy to answer them.**

**Now on with the story...**

Christine had got changed into her nightdress quickly in order to avoid the cold air and was now snuggled up inside the very comfy bed. She had begun to grow fond of the beautiful room and missed it on the night of her return to the Opera House. Brushing her curls with her fingers as she didn't want to get out of the warm bed in order to fetch her brush, she glanced sideways at the bedside table and gave a squeak of delight at what she saw. There was her book that she hadn't finished and on top it was a small bag of her favourite chocolates that she would get when she went out with Meg.

Moving the chocolates slowly out of the way, she collected her book and began to read. She could only read for a while as she felt her eyes starting to close. Usually she would have continued until she had fallen asleep, yet Christine wanted to wait for Erik when he returned. She was in luck as minutes later a gentle tap sounded from her door outside.

Smiling, Christine replied "come in".

Erik opened the door and looked at the ground when he saw that she was in one of the lower cut nightdresses. Trying not to get too flustered, he cleared his throat before walking closer towards her bed.

"I would have thought by now that you would have been asleep" he commented with a raised eyebrow. Christine had sat up fully, exposing more of her dress and replied "I was actually just going to bed now". He didn't look convinced but nodded.

"Did you like the chocolate?" He asked politely when his eyes wandered over to the bag.

"Yes, they are my favourite! Thank you so much" Christine replied happily. When his eyes moved back to her, he felt himself get quite warm. The nightdress that she had chose was showing a small amount of her cleavage and Erik was trying his best not to look. He had clenched his jaw so tight that Christine looked at him with concern.

"Are you alright Erik?" He didn't seem to hear her so getting out of the bed, Christine stood in front of him.

"Erik?" She asked a little louder. Jumping, Erik looked startled. He had been concentrating so hard to look anywhere else other than Christine that he didn't even hear her approach. Looking down at her, he swallowed the lump in his throat as his eyes lowered from her face. Snapping his eyes back up, he pointed back towards the bed.

"I'm..I'm fine Christine. Please get back into bed, I don't want you to catch cold". She nodded obediently and got back into the warm bed. Erik, had walked towards the door. Just as he opened the door, he looked back at Christine and gave her a smile.

"Goodnight Christine".

"Goodnight Angel". He had just closed the door when he heard her kind voice.

Erik looked one more time at the now closed door and with all his strength, dragged himself to his own room. His coffin that was in the centre of his bedroom looked cold and rigid in comparison to her bed. All he could think about was having her in his arms and sighed sadly knowing that she would never choose him when there were handsome men out there which would happily be with her. Yet the more he thought about her being with another man, the more jealous he became. Having enough of his twisted thoughts, he tried to tell himself that she deserved to be happy and got ready for a dream filled sleep which would leave him wanting more. More of something he didn't even have.

Christine had awoken to music humming outside of her room. She found herself grinning and got dressed into a dark green dress that had long sleeves. She looked at her discarded costume from the last night and wondered when she would next preform. A knock on her door caused her to jump. Walking over to the door, she opened it and was greeted with Erik looking a bit tired.

"Good morning" he said curtly as he motioned for her to follow. "How did you sleep?" He asked as they made their way into the kitchen.

"Well thank you, and yourself?" Christine asked as she seated herself at the table and picked up a green apple.

"Fine" he replied shortly and a little bit too quickly she thought. He wasn't eating and she worried that he was lying when he said that he ate earlier on as she knew from hugging him that he was thinner than he should be.

She didn't question him though and instead began to eat. She did however notice that his eyes were watching her mouth and she began to feel a little self conscious. Putting down the half eaten apple, she realised that he was daydreaming once again.

"Are you alright Erik, you have been a little distant lately?" He had sat up straighter and gave her a puzzled look but she knew that he wasn't as confused as he was making out to be.

"I'm absolutely fine my dear. Why don't you finish eating and then I can return you to the Opera House". She didn't get to argue as moments later he had left the room.

Christine had finished eating rather quickly and felt disappointed to find him ready and waiting for her to accompany him to the boat. The journey to her dressing room was not brilliant either as he didn't appear to be looking at her and instead just kept his eyes lowered to the ground. He was just about to open the secret door when he felt Christine's hand tap his shoulder.

"Have I done anything wrong?" She asked sadly.

Erik could have slapped himself for making her upset as he didn't think about the consequences of his actions. While he was too busy trying not to fantasise about her, he had instead been neglecting her. Raising her chin with his gloved hand, he made her look directly into his golden eyes.

"No. You have nothing wrong at all. I am just tired and I ask that you forgive me for my rude behaviour". He had glanced at her full lips again but flicked his eyes back to her own.

"It's fine" Christine replied casually though she thought that he wasn't telling the whole truth. Just accepting his answer, she removed his hands and instead gave him a quick hug. She hadn't seen the way his eyes had rolled to the back of his head when she made contact with him but did notice how his body felt tense. Clicking the hidden mechanism in the wall, Erik allowed her to go past.

"I will return your costume later on, have a good day". Before she could thank him face to face, he had already closed the door and turned his back. Sighing Christine left her room to try and find Meg.

It wasn't hard trying to find Meg since the first corner she rounded, she came face to face with the small blond. She didn't get to say anything as Meg had grabbed her by the hand and dragged her towards their room. Luckily no one was in there so they were able to speak alone.

"Right, I think you have some explaining to do Christine" Meg said looking both worried and irritated.

"I don't even know where to begin" Christine sighed as she sat down on her bed. Meg had joined her and started to brush her hair.

"Remember when I told you that I had been visited by an Angel Of Music? Well, the night I disappeared, I met my Angel in person." Meg gasped but didn't interrupt. "You must promise to tell no one what I am about to tell you Meg". Christine looked at Meg hoping that she would understand the severity of the situation.

"I won't tell another soul, Christine. You can trust me" Meg replied.

"Well my Angel turned out to be someone we all have heard of. He was the Phantom-" Christine didn't finish because Meg interrupted.

"Oh my gosh. The Phantom? You met the Phantom and survived?"

"Let me finish Meg" Christine asked and was glad that Meg calmed down. "Anyway, that night he took me to his home, beneath the Opera House and I spent my week with him. He was nice but I found out that he had an awful temper which was hard to deal with but overall he was very nice to me. Anyway last night I went to talk to him about the incident involving last nights Opera".

Meg looked at her and then asked "is he good looking?" She didn't get a verbal reply as seconds later a pillow hit her in the face. The two girls were laughing for a long time and when they finally calmed down, Christine answered her question.

"I wouldn't call him handsome but he has a good personality". Meg watched as Christine blushed and looked away before gasping and hitting her with a pillow.

"You fancy the Phantom" she accused and they both were sent into another set of laughing fits. They were stopped however when the door opened and Lea walked in.

"You have to come quickly, there is going to be an announcement in a few minutes!" Standing up, the two girls giggled and followed Lea to the stage.

When they arrived, everyone was gathered round waiting for the announcement. Finally, Andre and Firman arrived.

"In order to lift up moral, we have decided to hold a Masquerade tomorrow evening. Now I know it is awfully exciting but I must ask that everyone behaves themselves as this is are only chance at saving the Opera House from becoming bankrupt". Firman had finished and everyone began chattering excitedly. Even Christine couldn't help but feel excited and she even wondered if a certain masked man would be making an appearance.

**A/N **

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I will update soon! **

**Do you want Erik to make an appearance?**

**Please feel free to review and ask any questions :)**


	18. Chapter 18- Sea Of Swirls

Christine spent the whole afternoon with Meg and a few other Ballet dancers. Everyone had been given the rest of the day off normal duties to help with the decorations for the masquerade. So with her friends, they had been allowed to go around Paris in search of what to wear. Of course, they had to ask Madame Giry's first and she allowed them to go only if they returned before six o'clock.

It was quite tedious looking for dresses, yet with her friends, Christine found herself enjoying the experience she was normally put off by. It had taken them several shops until they found one which happened to have a large assortment of beautiful dresses and costumes. The shop was renown throughout Paris to have the best costumes for masquerades yet it was expensive.

Her friends had wealthy parents that had given them monthly pocket money and Meg's mother, Madame Giry, had given Meg enough to buy a decent costume. Thankfully, Christine had saved up enough money over the past weeks and she was able to buy a good dress. Finally after a good few hours of trying various costumes, they all seemed happy. Their costumes would be delivered at the Opera house tomorrow morning, and Christine couldn't wait to wear hers.

The rest of the night went quickly as it was mostly taken up with helping put the decorations in place and making sure everything was perfect. Christine had heard from Meg that Carlotta was to make a return to the Opera at the masquerade and Christine felt her smile fall a bit. She didn't hate Carlotta, and she certainly didn't think she deserved what Erik did, but she wasn't her biggest fan.

The next day, everyone was running around adding the last finishing touches to the Opera House. Though the atmosphere was tense, everyone seemed to be very excited at the prospect of the masquerade for there had only ever been a few in the Opera House's history.

Christine and her friends had got changed at around seven o'clock and made their way to the masquerade. When they reached it, all five girls stood there with their mouths open wide. It was truly a magnificent sight to behold. Bright colours and loud cheerful music painted the room. The usually quite silent Opera House was alive once more and the girls all smiled at the sight.

"Christine!"

Turning around, Raul was making his way towards her whilst trying to avoid narrowly being hit by the sea of people who were dancing.

"You look wonderful! I haven't seen you since the disaster" Raul said loudly in order for her to hear as the music was almost painfully loud. He offered her his arm and she took it hesitantly whilst waving goodbye to his friends. All of them looked happy except Meg who looked worried but smiled slightly non the less. Raul had offered to dance and Christine gratefully accepted without a word. Swirling around her dress was a sight to behold. It was a beautiful violet colour that shimmered in the light. Her mask was a deep purple and matched her long gloves. She really looked like a princess and the small tiara that was placed on her curly brown hair made her look stunning.

Suddenly the music became slower and all eyes were on the grand staircase as La Carlotta descended down them gracefully with Piangi holding her delicate hands as though they were made of glass. Carlotta was wearing a beautiful red gown that hugged her curves. Her red hair was clipped up perfectly and she wore a silver mask that glittered. She did look amazing.

Raul however, couldn't take his eyes off Christine and then lead her slowly away for the crowds. Neither of them saw a masked man watching them intensely.

"Where are we going?" Christine asked Raul with a smile as he continued to move them away from the party. "I thought that we could go somewhere quiet, perhaps the roof" Raul replied and was glad that Christine allowed him to continue.

Reaching the roof, Christine shivered at the cold night air and suddenly found herself wearing Raul's warm cape which accompanied the rest of his costume.

"Thank you" she said smiling and gazed at how peaceful Paris seemed at night. When a warm hand touched her shoulder she turned to see a very nervous looking Raul.

"Christine we have been friends since children and I have always admired you. Now I see a beautiful young women standing in front of me and I can honestly say I have never seen such a wonderful sight." He flashed her a charming smile and she returned it back wondering where he was going with this conversation.

Nearby, Erik was hiding in the shadows and felt his fists clench as the young man spoke. Christine's back was facing him so he couldn't see her expression, but he knew that she was most likely smiling. Unlike Christine however, Erik had a very good idea what was going to happen and continued to watch.

"Christine, you have taken my heart and I only realised a few weeks ago that you have always owned it." Going down on his knee, he reached for a small box in his pocket and opened it up. "Christine Daaè, will you marry me?"

Erik held his breath and watched as Christine covered her mouth with her hands. Closing his eyes with grief, he didn't stay to watch the rest and melted away into the shadow leaving the two alone.

Christine, on the other hand looked as though she had been slapped. Removing her hands from her mouth she didn't know what to say. How could she say no when he looked so hopeful yet she didn't know if she loved him back. True, she cared for him but she didn't know if that was the same as loving someone. Taking a deep breath, she began to speak.

"Oh Raul, I don't know what to say. It's such a big decision and I think I need some time to think it through" he looked disappointed as he stood up but didn't look entirely disheartened. He noticed that she wore a plain silver chain.

"Well, this is for you so I would like you to keep it." He then moved and took her silver chain off and continued to place the ring through it. Putting it back on, Christine adjusted it to make sure that it wasn't completely visible. She didn't have the heart to give it back to him but reminded him softly that "I still have to decide Raul, this doesn't mean that I have agreed". He nodded to show he understood but Christine thought he looked a little too happy.

He then asked if she wanted to rejoin the party and she accepted kindly and allowed him to guide her down the steps. Little did they know that there was an uninvited guest waiting for them to return.

**A/N**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter and if so please feel free to leave a review!**

**Looks like there has been a bit of a misunderstanding between Erik and Christine , Do you think it will be resolved in the next chapter?**

**Hopefully I will update soon!**


	19. Chapter 19- For Me

**A/N**

**Thanks for the review The newbie phan, I was wondering if I was spelling Raoul properly haha I was meant to check but I have been too busy and forgot. I will have to edit the other chapters when I get a chance!**

**Now, on with the story...**

The party was in full swing when Christine and Raoul arrived back and she danced a bit more. She was surprised that she got asked to dance yet accepted each offer. She even danced with both Firman and Andre who complimented her looks. Overall she was enjoying herself immensely. That was until, the lights started to dim.

She wasn't the only one to notice as soon the music had stopped altogether. Andre and Firman looked at each other questioningly but didn't say anything. Suddenly a loud bang came from the top step of the staircase and smoke poured down the stairs. Many people didn't know if this was part of the night and continued to watch, wondering what would happen next. A few women had screamed at the noise but now there was a deathly silence.

Raoul had moved so he was next to Christine and put a protective arm around her shoulder that she didn't bother to shrug off. Then, a man in red appeared through the smoke. His mask was that if a skeleton and a number of gasps erupted from the audience.

He stepped down the stairs until he was directly in front of the two very confused managers.

"Ah" the man in red said softly. "It appears I wasn't invited to this masquerade. What a pity, I believe I would have enjoyed myself very much."

Suddenly he threw a large leather bound scroll filled with papers at Firman who dropped his glass to catch it.

The man that Christine now knew to be Erik looked bored as he gazed at the crowd but then his eyes met hers. She watched as his golden eyes darkened and his voice came out harsh and cold.

"I hope you will obey my demands this time for you wouldn't want another accident" he hissed and looked at Carlotta who turned white and then continued to faint against the Piangi.

"You are holding the knew Opera which is to be preformed next week. It is called Don Juan Triumphant. In there I have specifically named who will play which part and I advise you to comply for my reaction will not be good. There are worst things than a lost voice." He said icily and the managers had now realised who they were listening to and shook with fear. Andre nodded, trying to show that they would listen to his demands.

Yet Erik's attention was no longer on the managers and was now on Christine. Pointing at her he motioned with his finger for her to come closer. Christine complied even though Raoul tried to stop her, but she didn't listen.

When she was close enough he stepped closer so that he was looking down at her. His long finger tipped her chin up and he hissed "you will sing for me, Christine." She didn't have a chance to reply as moments later there was a crack and he had disappeared into smoke.

Trying to pretend that it was all their plan, the managers began clapping and within minutes everyone was clasping too.

"Thank you, we wanted to dramatically announce our new Opera" Andre said loudly though his voice shook.

At this point all Christine could do was stand and stare where he had been standing. His eyes scared her. Normally, even when he was angry, there was still a little emotion in them but not today, today they looked dead. Broken. She felt someone pulling at her arm and let them take her to a seat.

Raoul was kneeling in front of her and had put a glass of water in her hand which she happily accepted. Drinking the water to stop the sick feeling in her stomach, Christine couldn't wait till the masquerade was over. Trying to act as natural as possible she allowed Raoul to sit next to her and started to talk.

"That was very good, wasn't it?"

"Ermmm yes, but are you alright Christine?" Raoul asked and stroked her hand affectionately. She nodded and replied "yes, thank you, I'm fine". He was going to reply but a very pretty women had coughed behind him. She wore a dark blue dress that was covered in silver pears. Her hair was black and perfectly straight making Christine question how she kept it that way.

"May I have a dance?" She asked in a sickly sweet tone. She had lowered body so that her cleavage was now in Raoul's face. He glanced at her and then at Christine. He didn't need to say anything as Christine nodded and smiled.

"I will be back soon" he said softly before taking the now giggling women by the hand and leading her away.

Christine wasn't on her own for very long as seconds later Meg had appeared and asked if she wanted to leave, even though she fully well knew the answer. Standing up, Christine looked to see if she could see Raoul in the crowd dancing and was surprised when she didn't. Too tired to think about it, she walked with Meg to her bedroom hoping that Erik was not mad at her.

**A/N **

**Sorry for the short chapter, the next once should be longer. The emphasis is on the word 'should' haha :)**


	20. Chapter 20- The Phantom

Thankfully, the other girls hadn't arrived back yet and at least two of them had a boyfriend with them meaning that they would not be arriving back until considerably later on. So Christine and Meg were alone in the room.

"I should go and see him" Christine murmured to herself.

"The Phantom? No, Christine. You are far too tired and perhaps it would be better if you visit him tomorrow. He didn't seem all that happy before" Meg replied and pushed Christine further into the room. Christine nodded, knowing she was right and started to prepare for bed. Yet Meg kept giving Christine worried glances as they got out of their costumes and into their nightdresses.

Sitting in her bed, Christine wiped the sleep out of her eyes and gave a tired sigh. She looked up when Meg gave a surprised gaps.

"Is that a ring?" Meg asked and pointed to the small object still hanging around her neck.

"Oh, i should have told you sooner. Raoul proposed to me and I told him that I needed time to decide but instead of taking the ring back, he asked me to keep it." Christine spoke of this as though it occurred everyday for she was starting to feel emotionally drained.

"Wow" whispered Meg, "you have really had an odd night".

Christine couldn't agree more and took the chain of, feeling better as she put it in her bedside table draw. "Tell me about it" mumbled Christine wondering why everything happened to her.

"We will talk more in the morning, I think it is best if you go to bed. You look as though you need it" Meg giggled and then squealed when Christine threw a pillow at her. Throwing it back, the two girls said goodnight and blew out the candelas which were at their sides.

The next morning, Christine awoke feeling refreshed and was nearly in a happy mood until the previous nights events entered her mind. Looking around the room, she noticed how only Meg was in her bed and wondered if the other girls had even returned that night. As she got dressed, Meg woke up and looked at her with a sleepy expression. Christine chuckled at how messy Meg's hair was but could guess that her hair was probably worse.

"Where are you going?" Meg said slowly as though she was just learning how to speak.

"I suppose I have to see about the new Opera. I can't avoid it forever. But I will try and talk to you later unless you have to practise dancing". Meg replied by groaning into her pillow and went to go back asleep. However, a sharp knock on the door stopped her as her mother walked in.

"I'm glad you are awake Christine, the managers wish to talk to you in their office. As for you" Madame Giry looked at Meg, "you have ten minutes until we start practising for the upcoming performance so I expect you to not be late". Watching as she left, Christine got ready to go as well.

"Bye, I will talk later". Christine laughed as she left Meg still under her covers.

Like the last time Christine was at the managers office, there was already people in there. Judging by the high pitched shouting, Carlotta was obviously unhappy. Knocking on the door, she was once again pulled in by a flustered Firman.

She was surprised to see Raoul there and gave him a small smile. He had moved towards her and now was standing there protectively.

"It seems Miss Daaè, that you have been chosen by the Phantom to play the lead role who is the maiden Aminta. Accompanying you as the role of Don Juan, will be Piangi." Firman explained carefully.

"How is this fair!?" Screamed La Carlotta who was now sneering at Christine. "How can you allow a Phantom to decide who plays what?"

"We are doing all that we can to keep the Opera House safe, La Carlotta" Andre replied, hoping that she would stop shouting.

Suddenly Raoul spoke up. "I do agree with Carlotta. I find it ridiculous that two full grown men are scared by this 'Phantom'. Surely you have investigated this man as that's all he is". The managers looked around the room as though they thought the Phantom was with them now.

Looking at Christine, Raoul asked "are you scared of this Phantom Christine?"

It was a difficult question because sometimes she often forgot that Erik and the Phantom were the same person. Answering truthfully she replied "sometimes". Raoul looked unhappy and grabbed one of the letters that Firman had received only this morning. He started to read it out.

"Dear Firman, I propose that you rethink who will be in the choir for I have started to notice that one or two are out of tune and I will not allow anything else other than perfection be in my Opera." Raoul snorted and scrunched up the letter before throwing it at the bin.

"This is ludicrous, you both need to find this man and remove him" Raoul stated firmly. He noticed how La Carlotta was grinning at the managers.

"He is right. Perhaps he should have your jobs" Carlotta snapped at the two managers and Piangi added "he would do a better job". Meanwhile, Christine tried to remain silent and keep her opinions to herself. She understood what they were saying but the thought of removing Erik from the Opera house made her feel sick.

"We have sent people looking for him and no one has been successful. Some don't even return" Andre exclaimed.

"Right, you have rehearsals in an hour so if you will excuse us, we have some matters to discuss". Firman said firmly and watched as Carlotta and Piangi begrudgingly made their way out of the office. Christine took Raoul by the hand and dragged him out as well.

Once they were outside the office, Christine turned to Raoul and spoke calmly.

"Please don't get involved with the Phantom, Raoul. I think the managers know what they are doing". He had snorted at this and replied " no Christine, that's the problem. They have no idea what they are doing".

Not bothering to argue, Christine made her way slowly down the corridor before turning around. "I have to practise my lines. Please think about what I said Raoul". He didn't get a chance to reply as she had already gone.

Hours later, Christine found herself outside her dressing room door. The rehearsal had gone alright though many people found the Opera weird and couldn't quite sing certain bits, but overall she managed to sing her piece just fine. Now she was outside the dressing room. Going in she couldn't believe how cold it was and had to suppress a shudder.

Locking the door, she then went and stood directly in front of the mirror. On the other side stood Erik who was gazing back at her. He couldn't describe the pain he felt and wanted so much to make her suffer for making him feel this way. But as he looked at her innocent face, he knew that he couldn't.

"Erik are you there?" She asked and placed a hand on the mirror itself.

"Yes" came a cold reply making Christine flinch.

"Did you listen to the rehearsal today?" She asked softly and looked at her reflection knowing full well that he could see her.

"Yes" he replied again.

"And how did you find it?" She asked and waited for a reply.

"It was a decent attempt but still needs work. You...you were fine, though it could be better" his voice was still as cold and she really wanted to know what was wrong with him.

"Will you help me then?" Came her small reply. She expected a similar reply as the ones previously but was very surprised with want he said next.

"Why else would I be here?" That reply was like a stab in the heart for Christine and she winced at his words. She moved away from the mirror and turned her back.

"Well" he snapped "aren't you going to begin?" And they were the last words she heard of him that night.

After she finished practising, Erik had not said a word and she wondered if he had even been there whilst she sang. Going to her bedroom, she couldn't help but feel upset. For after all, her Angel was now a Phantom.

**A/N **

**I think that I have perhaps eight more chapters to go but I keep changing my plan every five minutes so I cant really be that precise. ****Hopefully you are enjoying it so far and I can't wait for anymore reviews as I love hearing feedback!**

**What do you think about Erik's behaviour towards Christine? **


	21. Chapter 21- Nightmare Below

The opening night to the new Opera was fast approaching and ever since Erik had acted cold with Christine, she had only spoken to him when practising and actually avoided visiting the dressing room at all costs. Yet on this day she had gone to see the managers about a request from the choir master, Gabriel.

However as she got closer to the door she could hear Raoul.

"We must use this as an advantage. Think about it gentlemen, he will be preset in box five for his own opera and surely wouldn't miss a chance to see Christine whom I think he has an unhealthy obsession with".

Christine had her ear now against the door and tried to contain a gasp when she heard Firman reply.

"Do you really think we could capture the Opera ghost? I mean it sounds like a decent plan but the chances of it succeeding are unlikely as he moves through this Opera House like smoke. We would have to get some help from the local police as well. It could end up becoming messy. What do you think Andre?"

"I believe that this madness does need to end but I think this sounds rather drastic. Can't we try and compromise with him instead?" Andre replied calmly.

"That won't work!" Snapped Raoul. "I am worried about the safety of everyone, especially Christine's. What if he try's to take her!?" Raoul sounded worried and then she heard him lower his voice.

"We have no choice". He was silent for a moment and then said coldly "we must do this. Whatever you may think, I must insist that you cease your stupid superstitions. We are not dealing with a ghost, gentleman. We are dealing with a man and unlike a ghost, men can be stopped. If so be it, by death".

Backing away from the door, Christine couldn't believe it. Her Angel was in trouble. Worse than trouble, his very life was at risk from a man that she once believed to be her childhood sweethart. Glaring furiously at the door, Christine scrunched up the piece of paper in her hand. She was meant to deliver the note which discussed various requests yet she no longer cared.

How dare Raoul suggest such a thing. She was considering bursting in the office and giving him a piece of her mind but just as she went to move forward, she stooped. This wouldn't solve anything, it would most likely create more suspicious and make Raoul more determined to find Erik. The thought made her shudder and she knew what she had to do.

Dropping the now crumpled up paper, Christine ran towards her dressing room. She was extremely out of breath when she reached the dressing room and almost forgot to lock it once she entered. With shaking fingers, she locked the door and started to look around the room for any clues which could suggest that Erik was with her.

"Erik? Erik please answer me, I need you!" She exclaimed hoping that he was around. She gave a cry of frustration when no reply came and she felt hurt that he wasn't there when she needed him so much. For someone who was supposed to be her Angel, she wondered if he even cared. For the past few days, he had snapped at her and not once said something kind. Instead he had been in a constant foul temper. She remembered when one day he had been so nasty towards her, that she threatened to leave. This had not gone down well as a booming voice had sounded from behind the mirror ceasing her movements. He himself had then threatened to leave her for good if she was to go. Knowing she had no choice, Christine had sang halfheartedly for the remainder of their session. This also didn't go down well as moments later she found herself alone.

The thought of his booming voice made her wonder how the mirror never cracked. As though she had just seen the light, Christine made her way to the mirror. Feeling around the wall, she hoped to come across the whatever Erik used to open the secret door.

Her hands were still shaking and for a good few minutes she searched for the odd contraception which would unlock the door. Finally when her finger grazed a rather harsh rock, she heard a click. Opening the secret door she glanced warily down the dark tunnel which she had travelled down with Erik. Christine knew that she was forbidden to go alone to his lair but she felt that this was an emergency and therefore she should be able to. Grabbing a small lamp from her dressing table, she carefully stepped into the darkness.

The floor beneath her feet was damp making Christine regret putting her ballet pumps on. Tiptoeing down the suffocating passage, she squealed when a rat made contact with her leg. Brushing it away with obvious disgust, she tried her best to keep her footing. Christine recalled Erik saying that there were traps down here and wondered if he only said this to scare her. However just as she thought this a small tapping sound began as she touched the wall.

Alarm bells started to ring in her head and she knew that whatever she had touched was not good. A flash of wood passed her eyes causing a small breeze to move her hair. Looking at the right if her, a wooden arrow was sticking out of the stone wall. Suddenly another one flashed by and landed right next to her head. Screaming, Christine jumped to the floor as a bombardment to arrows shot out form the opposite wall. Looking up, she saw in horror that the place where she had just been standing was littered in vicious looking arrows.

Crawling cautiously forward she screamed again as the wall she was closest to caved in and rats poured out. Beginning to think this was a nightmare, Christine shoved the rats away and tried to think what to do next. She could carry on crawling and probably end up being killed by some horrific torture devise or she could stay where she was. She now understood why Erik disliked the idea of her coming down here. Just as she was about to make a decision, a sudden bang sounded from the opposite wall and she watched in horror as more arrows flew above her. Yet unlike before, theses arrows were getting suspiciously closer to her.

**A/N**

**Hello! Thank you for so many nice reviews! I'm so sorry that I haven't updated recently as I have been back at college :/**

**Due to how busy I am recently with A Levels, I won't be able to update everyday. However, I will be able to update a couple of chapters a week! Maybe more depending on how much free time I have (which is limited).**

**I would love to hear some feedback as I was very happy with the previous reviews!**

**I would like to thank Aria, Kitkat, lasting phantasma and The newbie phan for reviewing.**

**Do you think Christine was silly to go through the mirror or do you think that it really proves how much she cares?**


	22. Chapter 22- Glimpses

Erik, meanwhile, had been reading at the time. Or at least trying to. His mind had long ago stopped reading the words and was instead thinking about Christine. The taste of betrayal was bitter in his mouth and he found himself slamming the book on the table in front of him. Putting his head in his hands, he groaned when the mask pressed uncomfortably into his face. He knew that had he not been born to look like a monster, Christine would perhaps reciprocate his feelings.

When she had arrived at the Opera House, he was intrigued by the very young Swedish girl and when she started to pray for an Angel of Music, something in him couldn't resist taking the chance laid out for him. Over the years, he fell in love with her voice. A voice that could lift ones soul and almost take it to heaven. But now, from just catching a glimpse of her beautiful light, he was beginning to see glimpses of life and it both excited him and scared him. He no longer was just in love with her voice. He was in love with her.

Standing up, Erik tried to blink away the tears that threatened to fall. He could not carry on like this. She was to be married to a handsome rich boy. Who in his opinion didn't appreciate Christine at all.

Walking swiftly towards the lake, Erik made sure to have his gloves on and started to row down the dark lake. However he heard a very quiet scream. Ceasing his movements, he began to wonder if his own mind was betraying him. Yet as another scream sounded from down the tunnel, he knew that it wasn't his mind playing tricks.

Speeding up, he tried not to create too much noise so he could listen out for another scream. Like he predicted, another scream erupted and he felt his body freeze. It was coming from the direction of Christine's dressing room.

He took little time of getting to the passageway and gawked at the sight in front of him. The traps had obviously gone off as hundreds of arrows were littering the walls at an alarming rate. He made these traps years ago to avoid any unfortunate accidents leading to him being found out. Thankfully, he had built a mechanism which would halt the arrows movements altogether.

Nimbly moving his fingers over the crumbling wall, he found the sharp rock and pressed it hurriedly. Waiting for the arrows to cease firing, his heart jumped at the sight of Christine. She was sat down on the dirty floor with her eyes closed. He noticed that the arrows had started to get lower down the wall and one had got tangled in her hair making her immobile.

Rushing up to her, whilst avoiding the arrows pointing viciously out of the wall, he prayed that she was alright and gave a sigh of relief when her eyes snapped open to see his golden ones. Very carefully and without saying a word, Erik began to untangle her curly hair from the sharp arrow. He saw her wince when he had to pull on the arrow to remove it from the wall and felt guilty for hurting her. She looked relieved to see him and although he was indeed glad that she had not been killed, he was angry that she went strictly against his orders.

With the arrow now completely gone from her hair, he began to check he body to see if she sustained any injury. However, he stopped his movements when a small hand pushed his larger ones away.

"I'm fine Erik, just a little shaken" Christine said nervously.

His relief was short loved as moments later, he was shaking in anger. After he specifically said to her not to go down to his home without, she goes and does just that. Once she had been obedient to every command that he gave yet now it was as though she wanted to go against everything he said. He grabbed her wrist, and pulled her forward into his arms so that when he pulled her up she wouldn't touch any of the arrows. Yet as she landed in his lap, he felt his body tremble with desire. Her smell was intoxicating and her warmth was inviting. He felt her start to relax against him and new that he had let his defences go down for too long.

With mixed feelings, Erik stood up hurriedly bringing Christine along with him. Moving himself away from her to avoid anymore situations like before, he felt the anger serge back through him.

"What do you think you are doing." Erik hissed, trying to control what was left of his patience.

Christine was looking at him with a hint of fear. Only seconds ago, he had been holding her in his warm arms and she felt like she was in the protection of her Angel, Erik, once more. Yet now she was back in the Phantom's presence. Taking a deep breath, she tried to gather what was left of her courage.

"I needed to see you Erik! But you weren't there, so as I was desperate, I decided to try and find my way to you instead". She had said it far too quickly yet he seemed to understand what she had said. Erik, however still did not look happy.

"It could have waited" he replied shortly.

"No it couldn't!" She exclaimed loudly causing her voice to echo. He seemed to be studying her and minutes later, he gave a small sigh.

"Well as you can see Christine, I am here now and I hope whatever you have to say was worth risking your life over". Erik's tense frame shuddered as he finished his sentence.

"Raoul-" Christine was cut of when a gloved hand pressed against her mouth painfully and another arm had wrapped around her waist to support her. If she though Erik looked angry before, she was sadly mistaken because right now he looked ready to explode.

Moving his head so his mask was almost touching Christine's forehead, he began to speak.

"I swear Christine if you finish that sentence I will not be able to control myself. I have lost my patience with you". His voice was ruff and his breathing was laboured. Looking at her right in the eye, he continued.

"Now, I am going to take you back to your mirror and you are going to rejoin rehearsals. If you do not cooperate, then I will drag you there myself!". Christine didn't know why he was so angry and felt tears sting her eyes.

She wanted to scream at him and shout. She wanted to hit him hoping that it would knock some sense into him and most of all, she wanted to beg him to tell her what was wrong. Christine was not stupid and she knew that he had been angry at her for almost a week. Yet from his snappy comments she really didn't want to ask.

Christine decided that now she needed to think about his safety and not her own selfish desire to be liked by him. Moving his hand away from her mouth she looked him straight in the eye and replied.

"Erik, you must listen to me!" She shouted but was silenced when his gloved hand was back over her mouth. She tried to fight against him but he was a lot stronger than he appeared. Watching with large eyes, Christine saw him take a black handkerchief out of his pocket. He spun her around and tied it harshly over her mouth. Suddenly her world was turned upside down and she realised he had thrown her over his shoulder. She thought back to the first time he brought her down here and smirked realising she was in the same position. Shaking her head, she started to kick and hit hoping that he would let her go. Her screams were muffled and she felt her head begin to throb.

He made his way to her dressing room and opened the secret door quickly. Shoving her in the dressing room so she fell into a heap on the floor, he didn't give her a second glance and shut the door with a loud click. Christine removed the handkerchief from her face and coughed when she was able to breathe. Moving towards the mirror, she tried to open it and gave a cry of frustration. Knowing that if she made too much noise, it would alert someone to her distress, Christine sank to the floor and began to sob softly. All she wanted to do was protect him and he instead pushed her away.

Little did Christine know, that on the other side of the mirror Erik watched her. He had collapsed to his knees, unconscious of the pain from the firm floor, and had his hand stretched out of the mirror as though he was reaching for her. Moving away, Erik could only watch her distress with pain filled eyes. It was only when he tasted salt that he realised he had been crying too.

**A/N **

**Thank you for all the reviews and follows! It means a lot!**

**What did you think about this chapter? **


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